Department for Transport

Blue Badge Scheme: Children

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, under what conditions parents of disabled children are given blue badges.

Jesse Norman: Blue Badges are issued to disabled people, and not family members unless accompanying a disabled person. Children can qualify for a badge under the general criteria if they: have a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking; orare severely sight impaired; orreceive the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance.Additional, specific criteria, apply to children not more than 3 years old who, on account of a condition: must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around with the child without great difficulty; or must always be kept near a motor vehicle so that, if necessary, they can be treated in the vehicle or taken quickly to a place where they can be treated.

Railways: North of England

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to review the decision to cancel the electrification of the TransPennine Express route between Leeds and Manchester.

Paul Maynard: There has been no decision made on the scope of work for this route. The Government remains committed to improving services on the Transpennine line. We are currently working with Rail North and Network Rail to develop very significant improvements for rail passengers on the route with phased introduction from December 2022. These could be the result of investment in new trains, electrification or other infrastructure work. The options will be costed by December, ahead of a decision next year.

High Speed Two: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 10187, on High Speed 2: redundancy, what the planned salaries are for (a) the HR Director, (b) Finance Managers, (c) Senior HR Business Managers, (d) the Head of Employee Relations and (e) the Interim Director of Organisational Development.

Paul Maynard: In line with the Government’s policy on transparency, HS2 Ltd publishes details of employees who receive more than £150,000 per annum on the Cabinet Office website, HS2 Ltd’s incoming HR Director’s details will be published in line with this policy once they have taken up their post. This can be found through the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/senior-officials-high-earners-salaries HS2 Ltd does not publish details of individual salaries below £150k per annum. However the below table sets out the grades and pay ranges for each of the positions referred to:Job Title:Grade:Salary Bands(a) HR Director25£192,300 - £288,450(b) Finance Manager17£43,750 - £65,600(c) HR Business Partner18£47,450 - £71,150(d) the Head of Employee Relations21 (Birmingham)£84,300 - £126,500(e) Interim Director of Organisational Development.21 (London)£91,000 - £136,500 Please note that pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 10187, the Senior Business Manager role has now been renamed as an HR Business Partner, and is the same grade. The Interim Director of Organisational Development post is now vacant, HS2 is considering the recruitment of a permanent position in Birmingham. A full breakdown of HS2 pay grading was provided in response to Question 5089 on the 20 July 2017:www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-07-17/5089/

Railways: Fares

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to reduce passenger fares on trains between Hull and (a) Liverpool and (b) Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The Government has committed to capping regulated rail fares at RPI+0% through to 2020. This extends the cap on rail fare increases put in place for 2014 and 2015. Regulated Fare increases are based on the July Retail Price Index (RPI) figures that are released in August each year. The fares that passengers pay are supporting the biggest modernisation programme on Britain’s railways for over a century. We have recently announced that we will continue the current record level of funding with around £48 billion spending on the network in the period from 2019 to 2024, which will support more maintenance and a huge uplift in renewals to increase reliability, and punctuality, for passengers.

Railways: North East

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve rail services in the North East of England.

Paul Maynard: Rail journeys across the North East will undergo the biggest transformation in decades, with an unprecedented package of improvements. By 2020 all the trains will be brand new or completely refurbished, and all the Pacer trains will be gone. Similarly, across the whole of the North there will be more than 500 brand-new train carriages, with room for 40,000 more passengers and 2,000 extra services a week.

Exeter-Plymouth Railway Line

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to fund increases in line speed on the railway between Plymouth and Exeter.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport intends to set out the outcomes we want from the rail network in Control Period 6 (CP6 – 2019 to 2024) during the remainder of 2017, following on from the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) that was published in July. The work of the Peninsula Rail Task Force, which includes aspirations for line speed increases between Exeter and Plymouth, continues to be a valuable part of the process for defining our priorities for investment after 2019.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9220, what services his Department has received in connection with High Speed 2; and how much was paid for each such service.

Paul Maynard: In 2014, the Department as part of its social research undertook a workshop with the Cabinet Office Behavioural Insight Team to better understand how property owners will respond to the proposals on cash payment measures proposed in the 2014 HS2 Property Consultation. The cost of this workshop was £1872.

Department for Transport: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8043, how many and what proportion of firms have a Cyber Essentials qualification; and whether that qualification is a requirement for delivering work procured by his Department.

Mr John Hayes: We do not hold a central record of the number of suppliers that are certified to the Cyber Essentials scheme, and therefore cannot say what proportion hold the certification. We would not be able to provide this information without expending disproportionate effort. Certification to the scheme has, since October 2014, been a requirement for contracts that involve the processing of personal data or the provision of certain IT products or services. As part of the department’s ongoing risk management, we seek assurance ­­– usually on an annual basis – from those suppliers that process personal data on our behalf. In respect of the central department, all of those suppliers that provided assurance in 2016/17 confirmed that they were certified to the Cyber Essentials scheme.

A19: Safety

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety on the A19.

Jesse Norman: Highways England are responsible for a 67 mile section of the A19 between Thirsk in North Yorkshire and Seaton Burn in Tyne and Wear. The remainder is the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council, York City Council and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council as it passes through their respective areas.Safety is a key priority of Highways England, and the safety performance of all its roads is under continuous review in order to develop and prioritise safety improvements. Since 2011, Highways England have delivered safety improvements at ten locations on the A19. These include improvements to traffic signals and road markings, provision of additional road capacity to reduce congestion, and improvement to facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.In March 2017, the Government announced a further £220m of investment to help cut congestion, reduce journey times and improve safety. This includes the signalisation of the junction with the A179 at Shearton, near Hartlepool.

Transport: North East

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the capital spend on transport per head of population in (a) the North Eastand (b) Hartlepool constituency in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jesse Norman: Figures on public sector spend at a regional and national level are part of the Government’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics. These statistics attempt to allocate the spending according to where the benefits of that spend are accrued. The latest CRA statistics suggest that in 2015-16 there was £182 of capital expenditure on transport per head of population by central and local governments and other public bodies for the North East of England. This information is available for government office regions only, and therefore is unavailable for the Hartlepool constituency.

Public Transport: West Yorkshire

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has received from the public purse for public transport provision in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: West Yorkshire Combined Authority has access to the funding provided through the Local Growth Fund to the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership for the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund. This will amount to £781m over the 30 years from 2015. It is for the LEP working with its partners to decide how the funding is used. In addition, since the West Yorkshire Combined Authority was established on 1 April 2014, the Department of Transport has provided the Combined Authority with the following funding to support public transport: £million2014/152015/162016/172017/18Leeds Rail Growth scheme9.6   Leeds Station Southern Access*11.8   Leeds Public Transport Improvements   21.0Integrated Transport Block27.113.113.113.1Local Sustainable Transport Fund0.22.8  Access Funding   2.5Low Emission Bus scheme   0.2**PTE grant for rail ***43.244.40.9 *£0.6m was provided for this project in 2013/14 to WYCA’s predecessor body, the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority.** to be paid.*** Under the terms of the new Northern franchise agreement all subsidies are now paid directly to the train operator

Department for Transport: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2017 to Question 10152, on Department for Transport: redundancy pay, how much of the £6,307,274 awarded in exit payments to core department staff and the £17,011,102 awarded to departmental group staff in 2016 and of the £5,848,495 awarded to core department staff and £17,987,001 awarded to departmental staff in 2015 was awarded to (a) men and (b) women.

Mr John Hayes: Details of the number, type, compensation levels and cost of exits from the Department for Transport are routinely published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. We do not hold all the information requested centrally and to establish these details would incur disproportionate costs.

High Speed Two: Crofton

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings have taken place between HS2 Ltd and campaign groups from Crofton in Hemsworth constituency.

Paul Maynard: To date in 2017 HS2 Ltd have met with campaign groups from Crofton in, or close to, Hemsworth constituency on 6 occasions.- A meeting with members of Crofton Against HS2 and the member for Hemsworth (Jon Trickett MP) on 8th February- A Community Information Event at Cedar Court Hotel in Wakefield on 20th February, with a bus travelling from the centre of Crofton to the hotel free of charge- A ‘by appointment only’ Community Information Event in Crofton Community Centre on 6th March for residents of Crofton- A Community Information Event at Cedar Court Hotel in Wakefield 11th September, with a bus travelling from the centre of Crofton to the hotel free of charge- A Community Information Event in Hemsworth on 16th February in Barnsley East constituency but also intended for residents of Hemsworth- On the 8th March 2017 Crofton Action group members attended a meeting to discuss property count methodology at the Ibis Hotel in Rotherham (along with other action groups).- A Community Information Event in Hemsworth on 18th September in Barnsley East constituency but also intended for residents of Hemsworth

High Speed Two

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings High Speed 2 engagement officers have cancelled in (a) Hemsworth constituency and (b) the UK.

Paul Maynard: In the past 6 months, High Speed 2 Engagement Officers have not cancelled any meetings in Hemsworth constituency but they have rescheduled one because it would have coincided with community information events. HS2 Ltd do not hold a central record of all meetings cancelled in the UK by High Speed 2 engagement officers.

Bus Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish guidance for local and regional transport authorities on the implementation of the Bus Services Act 2017.

Jesse Norman: The Department plans to publish the guidance this autumn.

Roads: Accidents

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents in the UK involved in left-hand-drive vehicles in the last two years.

Jesse Norman: The number of reported road casualty accidents involving at least one left hand drive vehicle in Great Britain is as follows: 2015 1,240 accidents2016 1,233 accidents Source: Department for Transport, Reported Casualties Great Britain Table RAS40005https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/ras40-reported-accidents-vehicles-and-casualties Northern Ireland data is not available.

Roads: Accidents

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the number of road traffic accidents involving left-hand-drive vehicles in the UK.

Jesse Norman: The Department is constantly looking to build on the UK’s excellent national road safety record. The Department is working at European and international levels on various measures such as improving driver vision through mirrors and cameras. The Department’s “British Road Safety Statement” published in December 2015 also sets out measures to further improve safety of all road users.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what projects jointly funded by the private sector Network Rail has completed in each of the last 12 months.

Paul Maynard: We continue to explore all opportunities for private sector funding, including in rail schemes such as East West Rail and Crossrail 2.

Shipping: North Korea

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking proactively to monitor Democratic People's Republic of Korea foreign-flagged ships in order to ensure enforcement of the mandate to inspect their cargo; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will detail the steps his Department is taking to ensure the close monitoring of ships registered to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea which change their (a) ship names, (b) flag, (c) company name and (d) reported beneficial owner; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport takes all possible measures to ensure that all states implement and enforce UN Security Council resolutions. Such measures can include engagement with partner states, and the UN Panel of Experts on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), regarding the misuse of country flags by ships connected to the DPRK. UN Security Council resolutions call on Member States to de-register any vessel that is owned, operated or crewed by the DPRK, and not to register any such vessels that have been de-registered by another Member State. The ship registry of the UK fully complies with this measure.

Department for Transport: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Mr John Hayes: Government’s guidance on the procurement of steel was published in November 2015 and subsequently updated in December 2016. In DfT steel is only purchased directly by Network Rail, and they source ninety-five percent of their steel from Scunthorpe. There are few other companies of our size who can show such a clear commitment to buying British. Both Highways England and High Speed Two Ltd procure steel through their respective supply chains. The guidance has been fully adopted by DfT for all in-scope projects and we are required to report on its implementation every 6 months. The most recent report provided covers the period 1 January to 30 June 2017. During that period no steel had been procured which fell within the scope of the guidance.

Railways: Finance

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure equality in funding for rail services between the north and south.

Paul Maynard: The Government is committed to investing in infrastructure to support regional growth. As we emphasised in the Transport Investment Strategy, investment decisions should reflect a clear understanding of the particular needs of the country. As the Government made clear in its Statement of Funds Available, published on 12 October, we are particularly looking to focus rail spending for Control Period 6 on the operation, maintenance and renewal of the railway to improve reliability and punctuality for customers. This will benefit communities across England and Wales.

Public Transport: Tickets

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals for smart ticketing for public transport in the North on the number of station staff employed in that region.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial contribution his Department expects local government and private business to make towards the introduction of smart ticketing for public transport in the North.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which regions smart ticketing for public transport in the North will be introduced during (a) a trial period and (b) full roll-out.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department plans to spend on introducing smart ticketing for public transport in the North.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of rolling out smart ticketing for public transport in the North.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of smart ticketing on the number of journeys undertaken on public transport in the North.

Paul Maynard: In November 2015 the Government committed £150m for Transport for the North (TfN) to deliver multi-modal smart ticketing across the North of England.TfN are preparing a business case for the programme, which will set out its scope and plan for rollout, costs and benefits and the necessary arrangements with passenger transport operators.

Public Transport: Tickets

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to guarantee interoperability between smart ticketing systems for public transport provided by different franchise operators.

Paul Maynard: My Department is currently in negotiations with train operators as part of the smart ticketing programme, and I expect these negotiations to conclude by the end of November. The agreements reached, alongside collaborative working with Scotland, Transport for London and Transport for the North, will see the delivery of smartcard acceptance across the whole franchised rail network by the end of 2018, using a common standard, and building on previous government investment in rail industry smart ticketing systems.

Driving under Influence

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce the drink-drive limit to 50mg.

Jesse Norman: The Government currently has no plans to lower the drink drive limit. Our approach in tackling drink driving is through rigorous enforcement, tough penalties, and changing the social acceptability of drink driving.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Franchises

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to immediately take steps to prepare for a publicly-owned organisation to take over the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise on an agreed date; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: We have no plans to change the ownership of the railway. Our priority is to improve customer journeys and I am pleased that the quality of passenger services on Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has been significantly better since the New Year, with the Public Performance Measure of punctuality currently at 82%, compared to 62% in early December 2016. The latest National Rail Passenger Survey also showed a 4% increase in overall journey satisfaction on GTR compared with the previous survey. Work is underway delivering on the recommendations of the Chris Gibb report, including £300 million for Network Rail to improve rail infrastructure and resilience along the Southern and Thameslink rail networks, to drive further improvements.

Dover Port

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the length of queues at the Port of Dover.

Mr John Hayes: The Government's aim is to ensure that trade will be as frictionless as possible when we leave the EU. Work is continuing to assess what will be required to minimise transport delays, depending on scenarios for future border control arrangements.

Shipping: Safety

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of replicating the relevant functions of the European Maritime Safety Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for continued or discontinued participation in the European Maritime Safety Agency.

Aviation: Safety

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of replicating the relevant functions of the European Aviation Safety Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the number of staff required to replicate the relevant functions of the European Aviation Safety Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to replicate the relevant functions of the European Aviation Safety Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for continued or discontinued participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency. As part of the exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of aviation safety and standards.

Shipping: Safety

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the number of staff required to replicate the relevant functions of the European Maritime Safety Agency after the UK leaves the EU

Mr John Hayes: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for continued or discontinued participation in the European Maritime Safety Agency.

Shipping: Safety

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to replicate the relevant functions of the European Maritime Safety Agency after the UK leaves the EU

Mr John Hayes: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for continued or discontinued participation in the European Maritime Safety Agency.

Rescue Services: Firth of Forth

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the expected response time is of a coastguard search and rescue helicopter to an incident in the Firth of Forth.

Mr John Hayes: Her Majesty’s Coastguard search and rescue (SAR) helicopter base at Prestwick is geographically closest to the Firth of Forth. It would take approximately 28 minutes to reach an incident in the Firth of Forth once a SAR helicopter has taken off from its base.This is dependent however on the weather, helicopter availability and location. The Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) will consider all these factors and task the most appropriate asset to respond to an incident. HM Coastguard also has the ability to surge up to five Coastguard SAR helicopters to a single incident in the Firth of Forth, should it be necessary to do so.

Rescue Services

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fatalities occurred around the UK coastline in each of the last five years to which coastguard services were called.

Mr John Hayes: The number of incidents that included a fatality, in the UK search and rescue region when Her Majesty’s Coastguard was called, in each of the last five years is shown below: YearFatalities20124162013427201442420154072016381

Rescue Services: Scotland

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to review the location and number of HM Coastguard (a) employees and (b) search and rescue helicopters serving the Firth of Forth and south-east Scotland.

Mr John Hayes: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency continually monitors the services that Her Majesty’s Coastguard provides around the whole of the United Kingdom.As a result, there are currently no plans to specifically review the number or the location of Coastguard employees across its whole UK operation. Coastguards on the national network do not operate with fixed geographic boundaries and are able to coordinate any incident around the UK Coast, irrespective of their physical location. Workload is balanced across the whole network rather than on a centre by centre basis and incidents managed locally, supported by the whole network when required. The current contract for the UK’s search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service will operate until 2023-2024. As part of the contract renewal process, an assurance review of the existing SAR helicopter service will be undertaken independently, which will feed in to the tender for the next contract.

Rescue Services: Firth of Forth

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents in the Firth of Forth required a response from coastguard services in the last three years; and what the time was from callout to arrival for each incident.

Mr John Hayes: The number of incidents that required a response coordinated by Her Majesty’s Coastguard in the Firth of Forth in each of the last three years was 4 in 2014, 26 in 2015 and 27 in 2016. The details of the times from callout to arrival for each of these incidents is show below:  YearIncident dateTime taken from the creation of the incident to the on-scene time (hh:mm:ss)201423/05/201400:38:0026/06/201400:44:5220/09/201400:27:2212/10/201400:32:54201503/07/201500:32:1105/07/201500:32:2306/07/201500:27:1515/07/201500:30:2622/07/201500:22:0806/08/201500:09:4514/08/201500:48:4516/08/201500:26:0821/08/201500:45:0022/08/201500:22:3823/08/201500:06:4726/08/201500:28:3329/08/201500:14:0329/08/201500:04:4205/09/201500:15:0915/09/201500:34:3419/09/201500:16:5830/09/201501:20:2606/10/201500:29:4220/10/201500:36:4501/11/201500:19:5207/11/201500:58:5712/11/201500:22:1812/11/201500:54:2313/11/201500:44:0619/12/201500:21:13201615/01/201600:29:3625/01/201600:55:2609/02/201600:36:0003/03/201600:21:0615/03/201600:23:0028/03/201600:01:3524/04/201600:08:2230/04/201600:17:2130/04/201600:21:4309/05/201600:26:3024/05/201600:03:0128/05/201600:14:3002/06/201601:40:3304/06/201600:31:5607/06/201600:21:1918/06/201600:41:5520/06/201600:26:5907/07/201600:25:1619/07/201601:04:1801/08/201600:57:3301/08/201600:29:0006/08/201600:21:1613/08/201600:27:4427/08/201600:25:3311/10/201600:18:5820/10/201600:09:3031/12/201600:43:01

Crossrail 2 Line: Haringey

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the transport benefits that Crossrail 2 would bring to Hornsey and Wood Green.

Paul Maynard: The Crossrail 2 Strategic Outline Business Case, submitted to the Department by Transport for London, is currently under consideration by the Government to ensure it is a robust investment and delivers value for money. This includes the detailed assessment of the potential benefits of the scheme. No final decisions have yet been taken on the Crossrail 2 route.

Blue Badge Scheme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for the UK to continue to participate in the EU's blue badge scheme after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: The Blue Badge scheme is a UK scheme, enshrined in national legislation, and will continue after the UK’s exit from the EU. The Government recognises the benefits of mutual recognition of badges across the EU for UK citizens travelling to Europe. We are considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for the continued recognition of Blue Badges.

Transport: Pensioners

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the allocation of spending by local authorities on transport for pensioners.

Jesse Norman: This Department does not provide an overall piece of guidance on allocation of spending by local authorities on transport for pensioners. However, different Departmental transport schemes may publish bespoke guidance clarifying their schemes further. For example, for bus concessions, the Department has published guidance on bus concession eligibility and updates regularly its guidance on how authorities should reimburse bus operators. Other Departmental schemes will have separate arrangements.

Driving: Young People

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on raising the driving age to 18.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote the use of black box technology to encourage safer driving among under 18s.

Jesse Norman: In 2017, the Department commissioned a major research study which will consider the effectiveness of several measures, including telematics, in improving young drivers’ safety. The Department will make decisions about any potential steps to promote black box technology in light of that research. The Department has not received any recent representations on raising the driving age to 18.

Road Traffic Control

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to manage any increase in the volume of traffic around the UK's exit and entry points, including sea ports such as Dover; and what the projected cost is of implementing such measures.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport is taking steps to improve roads around the UK’s exit and entry points, as expansion happens at many of our ports around the country. On strategic roads, Highways England has published their 2017/18 Delivery Plan which provides updates on schemes from 2015 to 2020, including those that improve access to our ports and airports. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642750/Highways_England_Delivery_Plan_Update_2017-2018.pdf The Department for Transport is also working closely with other relevant Departments and agencies, and in consultation with the industry, to ensure that plans are in place to address the full range of possible future scenarios at the border following our exit from the European Union. The costs of any necessary interventions are being developed as part of this planning.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on small businesses of the increase in business rates which applied from 1 April 2017.

Mr Marcus Jones: The majority of businesses saw no change or a fall in their business rates liability at the 2017 revaluation. A £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme is providing support for the minority of businesses that face increases. From 1 April 2017 the Government permanently doubled the level of Small Business Rate Relief increasing the thresholds to benefit a greater number of businesses. Eligible properties with a rateable value of £12,000 and below now receive 100 per cent relief. This means that 600,000 small businesses pay no business rates at all. Additionally, at the Spring Budget 2017 the Chancellor announced a further £435 million package of relief to support ratepayers including small businesses.

Building Regulations

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to strengthen provisions in building regulations to ensure that materials and methods used in modern methods of housing construction are more resilient to the risks of fire, flooding and damage caused by escape of water.

Alok Sharma: The Building Regulations set functional requirements that apply to all forms of construction. However, it is clear that we need to review current fire safety and Building Regulations to ensure that they are as effective as possible. The Government has asked Dame Judith Hackitt to lead an independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety. Dame Judith will publish an interim report this Autumn and a final report in Spring 2018.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Advertising

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2017 to Question 3402, on advertising, what the reasons were for the large increase in spend in March 2017.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2017 to Question 3402, on Department for Communities and Local Government: advertising, what the reasons are for the increase in social media advertising spending in March 2017.

Mr Marcus Jones: The increase in spend in March was due to the Regional Mayoral Elections, accounting for 73 per cent of the spend in that month.The objective of the campaign was to raise public awareness ahead of the regional elections held on 4 May 2017.This is in support of the Government's aim to enable a shift in power from central to local government, with decentralisation bringing power closer to local communities. My department wants cities to have more control over transport, housing, skills and healthcare with elected mayors.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Written Questions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to Question 9514, tabled on 7 September 2017 by the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to the answer I gave to Question UIN 9514 on Friday 13 October 2017.

European Regional Development Fund

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many bodies were in receipt of funding from the Regional Development Fund in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) St Helens local authority area, (c) Liverpool City Region, (d) the North West and (e) England in each year for which that fund operated; and how much each such body received in each such year.

Jake Berry: The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in England. The Department makes data on grant recipients supported through the ERDF 2014-20 and 2007-13 programmes publicly available through the programme website.The data for the 2014-20 programme can be found on the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-structural-and-investment-funds-useful-resourcesThe data for the 2007-13 programme can be found on the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/erdf-programmes-progress-and-achievementsData on bodies in receipt of funding at a constituency, local authority and Liverpool City Region level and data on funding received by bodies on an annual basis could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2017 to Question 724, on high rise flats, when he plans to publish the list of buildings tested.

Alok Sharma: The priority must always be ensuring the safety of residents. Local authorities have been requested to inform the appropriate Member of Parliament about failed screening test results in their constituencySummary advice published on 5 September (available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-update-and-consolidated-advice-for-building-owners-following-large-scale-testing) sets out the results of screening tests and the seven large-scale system tests conducted over the summer, and includes the numbers of buildings tested.

Housing: Construction

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if the Government will ensure that all newly built properties designated by local authorities as low-cost housing are sold on a freehold basis.

Alok Sharma: The Government’s consultation, 'Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market', considered a number of issues within the leasehold sector including the sale of leasehold houses. The consultation closed on 19 September and Government will respond in due course.

Supported Housing: Tenancy Agreements

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many tenancies there have been in supported housing in each of the last five years.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department publishes information on supported housing lettings in the last column of table 1a of the published tables accompanying the release of Social Housing Lettings in England, last published in December 2016.The tables are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/social-housing-lettings-in-england-april-2015-to-march-2016.

Social Rented Housing: Greater London

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) local authority and (b) housing association homes in each of London's local authority areas have not met the decent homes standard in each year since 2010.

Alok Sharma: The number of non-decent local authority homes in London was 93,305 in 2010/11 and has fallen by over 57 per cent to 39,978 in 2015/16.The number of non-decent private registered provider homes in London was 6,967 in 2010/11 and has fallen by over 78 per cent to 1,449 in 2015/16Figures on the number of local authority owned non-decent homes at local authority level are available in the local authority housing statistics section F.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2015-to-2016https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2014-to-2015https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2013-to-2014https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2012-to-2013https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2011-to-2012https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/business-plan-statistical-appendix-bpsa-data-returns-for-2010-11Figures on the number of private registered provider non-decent homes at local authority level in the stock information by local authority section of the HCAs statistical data return.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-data-return-2015-to-2016https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-data-return-2014-to-2015https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-data-return-2013-to-2014https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-data-return-2012-to-2013https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-data-return-2011-to-2012 For data prior to 2011/12 figures are available in the Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR11_0_Detail Tab)http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120403140012/http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/server/show/ConWebDoc.21432

Council Tax: Students

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the (a) effect on living standards and (b) equity of Open University students being ineligible for council tax discounts.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, why Open University students do not qualify for council tax discounts; and whether he plans to review this policy.

Mr Marcus Jones: The council tax system in England does not exclude Open University students from being eligible for council tax discounts. If such students meet the eligibility criteria that apply to any council tax discount, they will qualify for it.

Landlords: Licensing

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to allow local authorities to implement mandatory licensing for landlords; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Local authorities already implement mandatory licensing of HMOs through powers under the Housing Act 2004. The Government has recently consulted on extending mandatory licensing to include properties which are occupied by five persons in two or more households, regardless of the number of storeys. This would bring a further 180,000 under the scope of mandatory licensing. Under the same Act, local authorities also have powers to introduce additional licensing for smaller HMOs; and selective licensing for all privately rented properties to tackle various issues in specified areas.

Non-domestic Rates: Charities

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures the Government plans to introduce to ensure that small charities are not treated less favourably than other small businesses in relation to their liability for non-domestic rates.

Mr Marcus Jones: Where a property is occupied by a charity and used for charitable purposes they will usually receive a mandatory 80 per cent relief from rates, which can be increased to 100 per cent at the discretion of the local billing authority. Unlike small businesses, charities qualify for this relief irrespective of their occupation of other properties or the rateable value of the property.The Government fully recognises the important public benefit that charities bring to communities, and charities also enjoy a range of additional tax benefits on their operations that businesses do not.

Housing: Construction

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much of the Home Building Fund has been allocated; and what proportion of that amount has been allocated to small and medium-sized house builders.

Alok Sharma: The £3 billion Home Building Fund provides long and short term loan finance to build the homes this country needs.Of the £3 billion Home Building Fund, £1.38 billion (46 per cent) has been allocated to successful applicants. Of the £1 billion funding specifically allocated to support small and medium sized builders, custom builders and innovators, £540 million has been allocated. The amount of that fund specifically allocated to small and medium sized builders is £292 million.

Race Relations: Scotland

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what joint working the Government is undertaking with the Scottish Government to promote racial tolerance and interfaith dialogue.

Mr Marcus Jones: On 12 October my noble friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, met Angela Constance MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities in the Scottish Government) together with Carl Sargeant AM (Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children in the Welsh Government) in Edinburgh. The meeting was the second in a series aimed at exploring common interest and sharing best practice on community cohesion. Among the topics for discussion was a presentation by Interfaith Scotland.

Homelessness

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate access to private rented housing for homeless people.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is committed to preventing and reducing homelessness.It is essential that good quality private rented sector accommodation is accessible for everyone. To help to tackle homelessness, we have allocated to local authorities £315 million for homelessness prevention funding until 2020 and £402 million of Flexible Homelessness Support Grant up to 2019. This can be used to pay for rent deposit schemes and other strategies to support access to the private rented sector.We have also brought forward a range of measures to build a better private rented sector. This includes ensuring local authorities effectively tackle rogue landlords who let unfit properties and, in the Queen’s Speech, we announced our proposals to put a stop to tenants having to pay letting fees. A ban will mean tenants require less money up-front, making it easier for people to access and move around the private rented sector.We are bringing forward a package of measures to bring fairness and consistency to people in the private rented sector. We are determined to rebalance the relationship between tenants and landlords and ensure tenants have access to effective redress.But homelessness is not just a housing issue. That is why we are implementing the most ambitious legislative reform in decades, the Homelessness Reduction Act, which will ensure that more people get the help they need earlier to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Government decided to locate the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre on none of the sites recommended in the Prime Minister's Holocaust Commission report of January 2015; which organisations were consulted before the decision was made to use none of those sites; and what sites were considered after that decision was taken.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Commission was clear that these were not the only sites and that the delivery body tasked with fulfilling the recommendations of the Holocaust Commission (DCLG with advice from the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation) should conduct an extensive search of all potential sites. In conducting its search for possible locations, through which almost 50 sites were considered, the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation consulted a wide range of organisations throughout 2015 and beyond, including the Royal Parks, Holocaust commemorative and educational organisations, property owners and developers, property agents, London Borough authorities, universities, museums and cultural centres.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what cost estimates underlay the decision to allocate £50 million of public funds towards the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; and whether funding is also to be raised from non-government sources.

Mr Marcus Jones: With cross-party support, the Government has committed £50 million. This contribution will kick-start a society-wide fundraising effort to deliver the National Memorial and Learning Centre and its wider educational objectives.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on what date Victoria Tower Gardens was first considered by the Government as a possible site for the Holocaust Memorial; and by whom that proposal was made.

Mr Marcus Jones: During the course of 2015 the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation - as the cross-party body responsible for advising on the delivery of the Holocaust Commission recommendations - was tasked with conducting a full search of all possibilities to find the most iconic location for the Memorial and Learning Centre. Victoria Tower Gardens was one of almost 50 sites identified and considered and was first raised as a possible location by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation in the early autumn 2015.

United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation was formed; what resources were used to create that foundation; and how much funding that foundation has received from the public purse to date.

Mr Marcus Jones: The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation was set up in January 2015 as an independent, cross-party board to advise government in taking forward the recommendations of the Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission. With cross-party support, the Government has committed £50 million as its contribution to kick-start a society-wide fundraising effort to deliver the National Memorial and Learning Centre and its wider educational objectives. The board has no fiduciary responsibility and has received no public funding. Board members provide their considerable time and experience entirely pro bono. The Board is supported by a small secretariat team of Department for Communities and Local Government officials.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on what dates the Government decided that the (a) Holocaust Memorial and (b) Holocaust Learning Centre would be located in Victoria Tower Gardens.

Mr Marcus Jones: The decision to locate the new National Holocaust Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens was made in January 2016 and announced by Prime Minister David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions on Holocaust Memorial Day 27 January 2016.The Government announced its intention to locate the Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, fulfilling the recommendation of the Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission for the Memorial and Learning Centre to be co-located. Prime Minister Theresa May announced at Prime Minister’s Questions on 14 September 2016 the launch of an international design competition which invited design teams from around the world to explore design concepts for a co-located Memorial and education centre in the Gardens. The design teams were asked to produce their designs in two parts. The first part fulfilling the minimum commitment of a National Memorial and the second part being the below ground Learning Centre component, which will be taken forward subject to technical, financial, planning or other constraints.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the compatibility of locating the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens with the requirements for space for works and parking at the south end of the Palace of Westminster during the  Restoration and Renewal programme; and what guidance has been received from the authorities in both Houses of Parliament on that matter.

Mr Marcus Jones: The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation is working closely with the Palace of Westminster to consider how the plans for the new National Memorial and the planned restoration could affect each other. Measures will be put in place to ensure neither project is compromised.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the compatibility of locating the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens with maintaining the present level of security at the Palace of Westminster.

Mr Marcus Jones: Victoria Tower Gardens is a secure, gated park, which closes at night. The building will require physical security measures associated with public buildings in Westminster. DCLG is working with a specialist security consultant and is in regular contact with the Metropolitan Police, and the appropriate Government and Parliamentary authorities.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government made (a) prior to and (b) after making the decision to locate the Holocaust Memorial and Holocaust Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens of the (i) number of visitors per year and (ii) volume of additional road traffic.

Mr Marcus Jones: Before the decision to locate the Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens was taken, the assessment was made that Parliament Square attracts several million visitors a year and that the Memorial would attract a subset of those visitors.After the decision to locate the Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens, the conclusion of further work by Cultural Consultants, Barker Langham, was that the potential number of visitors to the Memorial is 1,000,000, based on levels of visiting Westminster. Of those, they estimate that 576,000 will visit the Learning Centre.Detailed pedestrian and traffic surveys are currently underway as part of the preparations to develop the design. A significant consideration during the development of the design will be appropriately managing the flow of people to and from the Memorial.

Mental Health

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce loneliness in (a) England, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) Kirklees and (d) Colne Valley.

Mr Marcus Jones: Through our policies, including the Supported Housing programme and Disabled Facilities Grant programme, my department is helping those in society get the help and support they need to live independently and be part of their communities.Our Near Neighbours, and Community-based English Language programmes will also help to reduce loneliness in target populations through their work.

Supported Housing

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans formally to respond to the Work and Pensions and Communities and Local Government Select Committees' joint report on the future of supported housing.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, published in February 2016, what progress has been made on building the evidence base on specialist housing support for vulnerable people with mental health problems.

Mr Marcus Jones: Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We have been listening to the sector through our earlier public consultation on this issue, and we have also been taking stock of the joint DCLG/DWP Select Committee report on supported housing. We know the supported housing sector needs certainty to help it continue to plan and deliver new much needed supported housing. We will set out further details on our plans later in the autumn.The Government welcomed the Mental Health Taskforce’s report, the 'Five Year Forward View for Mental Health', and accepted all of the recommendations in its response to this report in January 2017, noting (as regards recommendation 10) that the case for using specialist housing support for vulnerable people with mental ill health is already established, and that the challenge now would be to translate this into action. To date, the Department of Health has committed around £200 million through the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund, to build over 6,000 new homes, including for people will mental ill health.The ‘Supported Accommodation Review’, which was jointly commissioned by DCLG and DWP and published in November 2016, estimated the scale, scope and cost of the supported housing sector in Great Britain, across a wide range of client groups including housing for people with mental ill health. The review found that units of supported housing for those with mental health support needs accounted for approximately 5% of total provision of supported accommodation (equating to approximately 33,000 units across Great Britain). A link to the review is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supported-accommodation-review.

Housing: Energy

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure the roll-out of improved energy efficiency in domestic properties.

Alok Sharma: The Government’s plans to improve the energy efficiency of domestic properties are set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, published on Thursday 12 October.

Opportunity and Integration Review

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the Government response to the Casey Review.

Mr Marcus Jones: On 5 December 2016, Dame Louise Casey published her independent review of how to boost opportunity and integration in isolated and deprived communities. Since then my Department has been reviewing the available evidence on the main causes of poor integration. In the coming months we will bring forward plans for tackling these issues through a new integration strategy.

Leasehold

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to tackle high ground rent rates associated with new build properties sold on a leasehold only basis.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to tackle the practice of developers selling new build properties on a leasehold only basis; and what plans he has to prevent developers from applying such leasehold conditions to those homes intended as low-cost housing as a planning condition.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent progress he has made on reforming the leasehold property system.

Alok Sharma: The Government’s consultation, 'Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market', considered a number of issues within the leasehold sector including the sale of new built leasehold houses, and onerous ground rents. The consultation also sought views on what further areas of leasehold reform should be prioritised and why.The public consultation, which closed on 19 September, received around 6,000 replies. We are carefully analysing the responses, and will issue the Government response shortly.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will list the local authorities that have made a request for financial assistance for fire safety work in tower blocks; how much such assistance has been requested in each case; whether that has been for grant, loan or extra borrowing approval; and whether the Government has agreed to any additional grant, loan or borrowing approval.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Green Belt

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what constitutes exceptional circumstances in his Department's planning guidance when applications to build on land designated as green belt are considered.

Alok Sharma: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out strong protections for the Green Belt, and makes clear that a local authority may alter the shape of its Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process. The Framework does not define these ‘exceptional circumstances’. However, in the Housing White Paper, Fixing our broken housing market, we proposed that a local authority should be able to alter a Green Belt boundary when it demonstrates that it has examined all other reasonable options for meeting its identified development needs, including:- effective use of suitable brownfield and estate regeneration;- the potential offered by under-used land (including surplus public sector land);- optimising the density of development; and- exploring whether other authorities can help to meet some of the identified development requirement.We have been analysing the consultation responses on this proposed clarification, and will announce our conclusions in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 6180, what the level of allowance was for the plan to enrol and adopt SMETS1 meters into the Data and Communications Company in the 2016 cost-benefit analysis.

Richard Harrington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 24 August 2017 to Question 6180:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-07-19/6180/.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 6168, whether an assessment has been made of the potential effect of the interoperability of SMETS1 on the expected benefits of the Smart Meter Roll-out Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: When they become interoperable through enrolment in the Data and Communications Company, SMETS1 meters will be fully compatible between energy providers, allowing consumers to retain smart services when they switch energy suppliers. This means consumers can make informed decisions on the best supplier and tariff for them, using real-time energy consumption information, and not have to worry about losing any smart functionality on switching.SMETS1 meters are already providing real benefits to consumers, helping them reduce their bills. Research by British Gas with 200,000 customers has shown that consumers with SMETS1 meters have reduced their energy consumption by almost 4%, on average, and Government research shows that eight in ten people would recommend them to family or friends.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Retirement

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to meet senior representatives from the Civil Nuclear Police Federation to discuss a realistic retirement age for its members; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Civil Nuclear industry is a priority area for me and I value the work that the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) does in securing our nuclear sites. The issue of pension age for CNC officers is an extremely important matter and I met with Mike Griffiths, the Chief Constable of the CNC and Vic Emery, the Chair of the Civil Nuclear Police Association (CNPA) on 9th August, following a change in BEIS Ministerial portfolios, to discuss this matter with them and to hear their concerns about a higher pension age for CNC officers. Parliament defined ‘members of a police force’ in the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 in such a way as to exclude CNC officers from the arrangements that were made for other police forces under that Act. This interpretation was confirmed by the High Court in August last year following a Judicial Review by the Civil Nuclear Police Federation (CNPF). I intend to meet with the CNPF early next year. In the interim, I am more than happy to review any written representations, which raise any new points, submitted by the CNPF. I can assure the hon Member that I will fully consider all relevant evidence when considering whether or not to seek a change in Government policy.

Strathclyde University: Photonics

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the future of the Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde.

Joseph Johnson: We have been clear from the start that the Scottish Government should be fully engaged in our exit from the EU. The UK Government’s paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, provides a basis for further discussion, including with the Scottish Government, on the future partnership the UK wants to build with the EU. We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the Scottish Government, including at the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, as we seek a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom. The Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde is one of around 20 Fraunhofer Research Centres based around the world, including countries outside the EU, such as the Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems and the Fraunhofer Center for Solar Energy Technologies in Chile. Fraunhofer Centres act in the same way as the Fraunhofer Institutes do in Germany, and form an integral part of a country’s innovation system while maintaining the core Fraunhofer principles and business model. Location in an EU member state is not a requirement for a Fraunhofer Centre. Science and research are vital to our country’s prosperity, security and wellbeing, and are at the heart of our industrial strategy. As part of our commitment to the science base, we have already increased research and development investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21. This equates to an extra £2 billion per year by 2020-21 and is an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending. Furthermore, the Government has guaranteed to underwrite the payments of any successful bids for competitive EU funding, such as funding from Horizon 2020, submitted by UK businesses and universities while we remain a member of the EU.

Strathclyde University: Photonics

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the future of the Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde.

Joseph Johnson: The Scottish Office met recently with the Principal at the Centre of Photonics for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde.The Centre for Applied Photonics is one of around 20 Fraunhofer Research Centres based around the world, including countries outside the EU, such as the Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems and the Faunhofer Center for Solar Energy Technologies in Chile. Fraunhofer Centres act in the same way as the Fraunhofer Institutes do in Germany, and form an integral part of a country’s innovation system while maintaining the core Fraunhofer principles and business model. Location in an EU member state is not a requirement for a Fraunhofer Centre. Science and research are vital to our country’s prosperity, security and wellbeing, and are at the heart of our industrial strategy. As part of our commitment to the science base, we have already increased research and development investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21. This equates to an extra £2 billion per year by 2020-21 and is an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending. Furthermore, the Government has guaranteed to underwrite the payments of any successful bids for competitive EU funding, such as funding from Horizon 2020, submitted by UK businesses and universities while we remain a member of the EU.

Research: EU Institutions

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what assessment the Government has made on the potential effect on the UK research and innovation sector of the UK no longer being able to continue working through EUREKA, CERN, ESA or EBI after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: EUREKA is an intergovernmental network which helps mostly small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe and aground the world to collaborate on R&D across borders to bring innovative ideas to market. The UK is a member of EUREKA in its own right and this does not change when the UK leaves the EU. The UK will continue to collaborate with European and international partners through the EUREKA network, and play a key role in this initiative. The UK will Chair the EUREKA Network from July 2018 to June 2019. The UK’s membership of CERN is also unaffected by the UK leaving the EU. CERN is not an EU institution; it is an Intergovernmental Organisation subject to its own treaty. The European Space Agency (ESA) is a research organisation that is not part of the European Union. In December 2016, the Government committed €1.4 billion, reinforcing our intention to continue collaborating within the ESA on Space research and development. Similarly, the European Bioinformatics Institute is a treaty organisation existing outside of the EU and UK participation is not impacted by the UK leaving the EU.

Research: Finance

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what assessment the Government has made on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on its targets of UK research and development spending reaching 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that that target is reached.

Joseph Johnson: This Government has set out its vision to meet R&D investment of 2.4% of GDP within ten years and 3% in the longer-term. R&D funding from the EU contributes to overall R&D expenditure in the UK and we would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. While we remain a member of the EU, UK businesses and universities should continue to bid for competitive EU funds, and we will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Government will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. This includes awards that are bid for before exit that are successful after exit. Going forward, our ambition for R&D investment will be an important part of our Industrial Strategy and will require a concerted cross-government approach. We have already increased R&D investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21. This equates to an extra £2 billion per year by 2020-21 and is an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending, more than any increase in any parliament since 1979.

Horizon 2020

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, how much funding the UK has received in each of the last five years from the Horizon 2020 programme; and what those amounts were as a proportion of the total EU-wide funding in each of those years.

Joseph Johnson: Between 2011 and 2015 the UK received around €5bn or 11% of total funding under the Framework Programmes for Research & Innovation. Further information can be found in the EU Expenditure and Revenue documents published online annually by the European Commission.

Space Technology: Scotland

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the space sector in Scotland.

Joseph Johnson: We have been clear from the start that the Scottish Government should be fully engaged in our exit from the EU. The UK Government’s paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, provides a basis for further discussion, including with the Scottish Government, on the future partnership the UK wants to build with the EU. We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the Scottish Government, including at the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations as we seek a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom.

Space Technology: Glasgow

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Glasgow-based space sector on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the future of that sector.

Joseph Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I are committed to positive and productive engagement with UK space companies and want our companies and our universities to continue participating in key EU space programmes. There is regular contact with UKspace, the trade association of the UK space industry and the UK Government’s paper provides a basis for further discussion on the future partnership the UK wants to build with the EU. It considers areas where there are precedents for countries outside the EU to participate in pan-European programmes such as Galileo, Copernicus and Space Surveillance and Tracking.Glasgow is recognised is home to award-wining companies such as Clyde Space, supplier of CubeSats and small satellite systems as well as The Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications (SoXSA) at the University of Strathclyde. Scotland is very much part of the UK space success which boasts growth averaging over 8% a year over the last decade, a turnover in excess of £11 billion a year and ambitious plans to achieve 10% of the global space market by 2030. We are committed to positive and productive engagement as we seek a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom.

Space Technology: EU Action

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on retaining the UK's place in EU space programmes.

Joseph Johnson: We have been clear from the start that the Scottish Government should be fully engaged in our exit from the EU. The UK Government’s paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, provides a basis for further discussion, including with the Scottish Government, on the future partnership the UK wants to build with the EU. We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the Scottish Government, including at the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, as we seek a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom.

Coal Fired Power Stations

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the amount of electricity was in (a) megawatts and (b) as a proportion of the overall total, produced by coal fired power stations in the UK in (i) the fourth quarter of 2016, (ii) the first quarter of 2017 and (iii) the second quarter of 2017.

Richard Harrington: Quarterly data on electricity generation by fuel type is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends. The information requested is shown below: Coal generation in the UK Generation (MW)Proportion of total UK generation (%)Q4 20168,724,1729.4Q1 201710,485,73411.2Q2 20171,558,0642.1Source: Energy Trends table 5.1

Job Creation: North West

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support job creation schemes in (a) the North West and (b) Blackburn with Darwen.

Margot James: The Northern Powerhouse is about boosting growth across the North by building on its economic assets and addressing barriers to productivity including the creation of new job opportunities to ensure an economy that works for everyone. They are 7 million people in employment in the Northern Powerhouse and the North West accounts for almost half of that. Proof that the steps we are taking to support job creation schemes in the North West are working. Small businesses are playing their part in this through access to national support through GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline and we have invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area), providing businesses across England with access to tailored local advice and support to help them grow. Lancashire’s business growth hub (Boost) which covers Blackburn and Darwen has worked with over 3,000 local SMEs and created over 1,300 new jobs in its first three years. In February this year, we launched the £400 million Northern Powerhouse Fund for small businesses across the North, ensuring they access to finance they need to start-up and grow. This fund has now made 39 investments/loans into businesses in the North West totalling £7.11m (over half of that invested across the Northern Powerhouse) which are forecasted to create 409 jobs. The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) supports eligible projects and programmes raising private sector investment to create economic growth and lasting employment. Since its launch in 2010 it has invested £2.6 billion to help local businesses grow and take on more staff across England. In the North West, 46,676 jobs have already been contracted of which 249 are in Blackburn with Darwen.  Over the past few years, we have invested over £1.5 billion through the Local Growth Fund in the North West for projects to boost local economies and Growth Deal 1 and 2 allocations aim to create over 35,000 jobs across the North West. The Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership, which covers Blackburn with Darwen have now received over £320m as part of their Local Growth Funding to give businesses the support and opportunities they need to achieve their potential which aims to see up to 11,000 jobs created across Lancashire Projects such as the Blackburn – Bolton Rail Corridor, Blackburn Town Centre improvements, Café Northcote at the Cathedral Quarter, Making Rooms Fab Lab and the Pennines Gateway initiative are just some of the locally-chosen projects in Blackburn and Darwen that are set to benefit over the next few years helping unlock new growth potential, create jobs and establish a network of centres focused on innovation and industrial excellence in key growth sectors for the whole of Lancashire.

Business: North West

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support business growth schemes in (a) the North West and (b) Blackburn with Darwen.

Margot James: We are working hard to support businesses and entrepreneurs across the UK to ensure they can access finance and wider support to grow and the right conditions are in place for companies to invest for the long-term.Small businesses across the North West can access national support through GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline. Government has also supported and invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area), providing businesses across England with tailored advice and support. For businesses in Lancashire (including those based in Blackburn, Darwen and Rossendale) this support is provided by Lancashire Business BOOST Growth Hub which acts as the first port of call for businesses seeking advice and support locally. Since its launch in November 2013, Boost has engaged and supported 3943 businesses and helped 312 individuals to start up a new business.Since November 2014, the British Business Bank has facilitated over £11.8 million of investment/lending to 279 businesses within Blackburn and Darwen. This includes 208 Start-up Loans at a value of £1.4 million.The British Business Bank also launched the new Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) on 22 February 2017. The NPIF works with ten Local Enterprise Partnerships, combined authorities and Growth Hubs, as well as local accountants, fund managers and banks, to provide a mixture of debt and equity capital to northern-based SMEs at all stages of their development. NPIF provides funding to fund managers who in turn offer microfinance (£25,000 - £100,000), business loans (£100,000 - £750,000) and equity finance (up to £2m).

Energy: Prices

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to introduce an energy price cap.

Margot James: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published a draft Bill to put a price cap on standard variable and default tariffs – meeting Government’s manifesto promise and bringing an end to unjustifiably high prices.We will ask the BEIS Select Committee to undertake pre-legislative scrutiny.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9648, what policy advice the Behavioural Insights Team provided to his Department or former constituent Departments.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9648, on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Behavioural Insights Team, what workshops the Behavioural Insights Team provided; and on how many occasions those workshops were provided.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9648, on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Behavioural Insights Team, for what purpose the Department undertook randomised control trials.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9648, how much his Department paid the Behavioural Insights Team for each of the services provided.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9648, on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Behavioural Insights Team, for what purposes the (a) qualitative and (b) quantitative research were done.

Margot James: As noted in the response I gave on 12th September 2017 to Question 9648, the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy has received services from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014 enabling the Department to add to its evidence base.These services fell into a number of different projects from BEIS and the predecessor departments BIS and DECC. It is difficult to break down the amounts paid for each service as the work strands incorporate many of these different elements.Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archiveThose published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8750, on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: procurement, what the contract was that took more than one year to procure.

Margot James: This procurement related to a contract for a Roadshow Truck and Trailer Project for UK Trade and Investment.The procurement requirement was raised in September 2015 and the contract was then placed in November 2015, for an initial term ending in October 2016. A contract variation was subsequently raised in October 2016 to extend the contract for a further 12 months. The period from September 2015 to the date of the contract variation in October 2016 exceeded 12 months and this was reported as a long-lead time procurement.

Small Business Commissioner: Industry

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what role the Small Business Commissioner plays in the formation and delivery of UK industrial strategy.

Margot James: On 2 October my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the appointment of the first Small Business Commissioner, who will tackle unfair payment practices by providing general information and advice, direct small businesses to existing services and handle complaints about payment issues, thus supporting Britain’s 5.5 million small businesses. Our small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and removing barriers to their growth is a key part of a dynamic, market economy. Our Industrial Strategy will ensure a competitive market that supports new businesses and innovation.

Companies: Registration

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that complete and accurate data is provided to Companies House when a UK entity, such as a Scottish Limited Partnership, is formed.

Margot James: When Scottish Limited Partnerships are formed they must file the appropriate forms with the Registrar of Companies for Scotland. Companies House will ensure that the forms are correctly completed and meet the criteria for acceptance.

Public Relations: Misrepresentation

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward proposals to prevent public relations companies based in the UK undertaking work that aims to misrepresent the human rights record of a person or government.

Margot James: These are matters for the companies concerned and for any trade associations of which they are members.

Aerospace Industry

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to protect the UK aerospace sector.

Richard Harrington: The Department provides strong support for the UK aerospace sector through the Aerospace Growth Partnership. We believe this has been successful in protecting the industry and supporting its growth. Since 2010, the UK aerospace industry has seen turnover grow from £23.7billion to £32billion; exports have increased from £18billion to £30billion; direct jobs have grown from 110,000 to 120,000, with indirect jobs up from 148,000 to 161,000; and, between 2010 and 2016, productivity growth in the sector was over five times more than in the economy as a whole. In addition we have created a more certain environment to drive increased investment in R&D, through a £1.95billion Government commitment over 13 years to 2026, matched by industry, to fund new R&D projects.But we are not complacent and will continue to work with industry through the AGP to retain the UK's position as a leading aerospace nation.

Self-employed: Adoption

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending statutory adoption leave to the self-employed.

Margot James: In contrast to employees, self-employed adopters do not need a statutory entitlement to adoption leave as they are able to decide themselves how much time off work they take and when.Local Authorities may make a payment equivalent to Maternity Allowance in cases where adopters do not qualify for family related statutory pay because they are self-employed. This payment is discretionary and means-tested to ensure that resources are targeted at those adopters who need it most and is part of a package of post-adoption support.Since 2010, we have taken significant steps to equalise the state benefits provided to the employed and self-employed, including giving the self-employed access to the full rate of the new State Pension for the first time, (worth up to £1,800/year more).We continue to keep all differences in treatment between self-employed and employed people under review.

Energy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many energy champions have been funded in each region of the UK.

Margot James: The Department provides around £1m funding a year for the Big Energy Saving Network. This is a joint programme, run with National Energy Action, to fund and train energy champions from third sector organisations and community groups who help vulnerable energy consumers in Great Britain switch and save money on their energy bills.Energy champions are appointed following a rigorous assessment process. We also consider the geographic spread of grants to be awarded to ensure that we have champions across all regions of Great Britain. The Department has just launched the application process for funding this winter - the number of energy champions funded in each region of GB in 2016/17 was:Region Champions East of England17East Midlands18London35North East16North West29Scotland15South East53South West35Wales21West Midlands30Yorkshire and Humber21Total290

Citizens' Advice Bureaux: Closures

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the number of Citizens Advice Bureau offices which have closed since 2012-13.

Margot James: The Department does not hold this information as central Government funds the umbrella organisation, Citizens Advice, but not individual bureaux. We have obtained the following information from Citizens Advice: There are currently 292 local members (legal entities, formally known as CAB). There were 360 members at April 2012, representing a reduction of 68.Citizens Advice has noted this reduction results mainly from a number of mergers of legal entities to provide efficiencies so that more resources can be targeted to frontline advice.Generally across England and Wales, the number of access points for advice remains largely the same – 2,700 community locations, including GP surgeries, libraries and courts.There have been 9 closures since April 2012, resulting from either the local service being no longer financially viable due to financial mismanagement, failure to address decreasing funding or the loss of a competitive tendering process.In all cases where a closure has been necessary, Citizens Advice strive to continue to provide face to face services in those areas, albeit sometimes this has had to be reduced.

Fuel Poverty

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households in (a) England, (b) Bolton Metropolitan Borough and (c) Bolton North East constituency spend more than 10 per cent of their income on fuel bills.

Margot James: In England, approximately 2.36 million households spent more than 10 per cent of their full income on fuel bills in 2015. This is around 10.4 per cent of all households. In the North West, approximately 0.41 million households (13.4 per cent), spent more than 10 per cent of their full income on fuel bills. Data is only available at the regional level and is not broken down further to Local Authority level.Fuel poverty is based on the low income high costs (LIHC) indicator. In 2015, around 2.50 million households were in fuel poverty. This is around 11.0 per cent of all households. In the Bolton Metropolitan Borough, 14,800 households (12.5 per cent) were considered fuel poor. In the Bolton North East constituency, 5,400 households (12.8 per cent) were considered fuel poor.These figures are based on the fuel poverty dataset. The methodology for this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuel-poverty-statistics-methodology-handbookThe sub-regional figures can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2017This is based on data the English Housing Survey which is run by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The methodology for this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/english-housing-survey-guidance-and-methodology

Employment: Leave

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on introducing a new statutory entitlement to carer's leave for working people.

Margot James: We will consider options for carer’s leave carefully and will set out our plans in due course.

Electronic Equipment: Sales

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps have been taken since the Westminster Hall debate on faulty electrical imports in March 2016 to review consumer protection against internet sales of faulty or counterfeit mobile telephone chargers, tablets and similar goods.

Margot James: Protecting consumers from unsafe, faulty and counterfeit goods is a priority. I set up the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety in October 2016 to bring together product safety experts, the fire service and trading standards professionals to identify necessary improvements to the system of product recalls and safety. The Group published its report in July setting out recommendations and outlining the actions the Working Group has been taking. This includes working with the British Standards Institution (BSI) to develop a code of practice on corrective action and recalls. The Government will respond in the autumn.The Department funds National Trading Standards (NTS) who prioritise national and cross-local authority boundary consumer enforcement in England and Wales. A successful programme of operations to tackle the sale of counterfeit and unsafe goods being made available on social media is ongoing. Similarly Trading Standards Scotland coordinates and enforces cross boundary and national casework also undertaking specialist functions which includes tackling e-crime.

Electronic Equipment

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on (a) regulating the import of electrical goods such as mobile phone chargers and (b) consumer protection and redress with trading partners for faulty of sub-standard goods after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: Product safety is a priority of this Government and the UK has legislation in place, which requires manufacturers to place only safe products on the market and to take action where a safety issue is identified.It is our priority to continue the UK’s strong history of protecting consumers. The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert directly applicable EU law into UK law and provide a power to correct parts of the law that no longer work. This will help maximise certainty for consumers and businesses as we leave the EU.

Post Offices: Closures

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of post office counter services on vulnerable older customers; and what alternatives are available to those customers.

Margot James: The Government recognises the important role post offices play in communities across the county, especially for the Post Office’s more vulnerable and elderly customers. With over 11,600 post offices in the UK, the Post Office network is at its most stable in decades due to the significant investment that has been made to maintain and protect it. This investment has delivered the fresher customer environments, increased opening hours and greater efficiency needed to succeed in Post Office’s competitive and changing markets. Post Offices are offering nearly a million extra opening hours every month and there are more than 4,400 branches open on Sunday, making Post Office the country’s largest Sunday retail network. Nearly 93% of the UK population live within one mile of their nearest post office, and over 99% within three miles.

Post Offices

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when officials of his Department last met representatives of the Post Office to discuss the provision of local post offices.

Margot James: The location and provision of individual post offices is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited; the company manages that and oversees the network. Departmental officials meet regularly with Post Office Limited to discuss a wide range of matters affecting the network, and this will include its provision of post offices across the country.

Post Offices: East Renfrewshire

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the retention of local post office services in East Renfrewshire.

Margot James: The provision of individual post offices is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited; the company that manages and oversees the UK’s post office network. I understand that there are currently 10 open post offices in the Honourable Member’s constituency, 9 of which have been transformed under the Post Office’s modernisation programme, offering an additional 224 opening hours per week, with 6 branches open on a Sunday.

Energy: Housing

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, at what time of the day the main use of electricity in domestic homes was by (a) day and (b) month in 2015-16.

Margot James: Domestic electricity consumption is not collected at this level of detail. However, National Grid statistics show a regular weekday peak demand between 5pm and 7pm in winter from all sectors of the economy. The maximum peak usually occurs on the coldest weekday: in 2015-16, it was Monday 18 January 2016.

Domestic Appliances: Sales

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that suppliers of second-hand electrical goods do not sell unsafe electrical goods.

Margot James: Product safety is a Government priority. We have legislation in place that requires suppliers of second hand electrical items to ensure the products they sell are safe. Enforcement of these requirements is undertaken by local authority Trading Standards Departments. They have the powers to remove from sale any second-hand electrical equipment that is unsafe.

Electricity: Consumption

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much electricity was consumed in each month in 2015-16.

Richard Harrington: Information on UK electricity consumption by month can be found in Energy Trends table 5.5, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends. The information requested is shown below: UK electricity consumption 2015 MonthElectricity consumed (TWh)January29.87February27.36March28.35April25.17May24.74June23.44July24.48August23.55September24.18October25.57November26.82December27.452016 MonthElectricity consumed (TWh)January28.96February27.27March27.88April25.19May23.86June23.04July23.53August23.38September23.75October25.87November28.11December28.43  Source: Energy Trends table 5.5

Wind Power

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applicants for wind farm accreditation between July and October 2016 were on request accordingly afforded an extension of time or grace period by Ofgem to allow for successful conversion to full accreditation.

Richard Harrington: Across Great Britain, 13 onshore wind farms that applied for accreditation under the Renewables Obligation between July and October 2016 have been granted a grace period. Of these, 6 each were in England and Scotland, and 1 in Wales. A further 3 applications (all in Scotland) have not yet been determined [1]. [1] Applications still being assessed by Ofgem where the later of the application date and commissioning date falls between 1 July and 31 October 2016 (their expected accreditation effective date if granted).

Wind Power

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many certificated G59 commissioning engineers who were not embedded within power supply companies and district network operations were available to sign off wind farm accreditation between July and November 2016.

Richard Harrington: This information is not held by either Ofgem or the Department.

Wind Power

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many unsuccessful applications for full onshore wind farm accreditation there were between July and October 2016.

Richard Harrington: Between July and October 2016, no applications for accreditation under the Renewables Obligation were rejected.

Wind Power

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applicants for full onshore wind farm accreditation there were between July and October 2016.

Richard Harrington: Across Great Britain, 18 onshore wind farms applied for accreditation under the Renewables Obligation between July and October 2016. Of these, 8 [1] were in England, 1 in Wales, and 9 in Scotland. [1] This figure includes 2 applications made between 1 July and 31 October 2016 but subsequently cancelled by the applicant.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the economic effect of potential trade frictions in the event that the Government fails to reach an agreement during negotiations with the EU on continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK.

Margot James: The Government is working towards a mutually beneficial outcome to the withdrawal negotiations. Nevertheless, a responsible government plans for contingency scenarios. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for UK businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand their concerns and interests.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what plans his Department has made to support UK industry in the event that the Government fails to reach an agreement during its negotiations with the EU on continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK.

Margot James: The Government is working towards a mutually beneficial outcome to the withdrawal negotiations. Nevertheless, a responsible government plans for contingency scenarios. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for UK businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand their concerns and interests.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the withdrawal agreement with the EU potentially resulting in the invalidity of EU compliance activities before withdrawal day for goods placed on the market after withdrawal day.

Margot James: The UK position paper ‘Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK’ was published following discussion and agreement with other Government Departments, including the Scotland Office. We will continue to work with other Government departments to inform our negotiating position as discussions with the EU progress. My department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. My officials are in contact with their counterparts in the Scottish Government on issues relating to the movement of goods following the UK’s exit from the EU. We will continue to work with other Government departments, including the Scotland Office, to inform our approach.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the withdrawal agreement with the EU potentially resulting in the invalidity of EU compliance activities before withdrawal day for goods placed on the market after withdrawal day.

Margot James: The UK position paper ‘Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK’ was published following discussion and agreement with other Government Departments, including the Scotland Office. We will continue to work with other Government departments to inform our negotiating position as discussions with the EU progress. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. My officials are in contact with their counterparts in the Scottish Government on issues relating to the movement of goods following the UK’s exit from the EU. We will continue to work with other Government departments, including the Scotland Office, to inform our approach.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what representations he has received from industry on the withdrawal agreement with the EU potentially resulting in the invalidity of EU compliance activities before withdrawal day for goods placed on the market after withdrawal day.

Margot James: The Department has received a wide range of representations from businesses on the withdrawal from the European Union, and specifically on the position of goods placed on the market at that point, both before and after the UK Government paper published on this subject. We continue to engage stakeholders with the aim of ensuring a smooth and orderly exit from the European Union.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what representations he has received from trade unions on the withdrawal agreement with the EU potentially resulting in the invalidity of EU compliance activities before withdrawal day for goods placed on the market after withdrawal day.

Margot James: The Department has received a wide range of representations from organisations on the withdrawal from the European Union, and specifically on the position of goods placed on the market at that point, both before and after the UK Government paper published on this subject. This includes discussions with trade unions on the withdrawal from the European Union and I plan shortly to hold a roundtable with trade unions on their priorities for the UK’s exit from the EU.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, if his Department will set out the possible issues affecting the continuity of service provision at the point of exit which would result in economic disruption.

Margot James: The Government is working towards a mutually beneficial outcome to the withdrawal negotiations. Nevertheless, a responsible government plans for contingency scenarios. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for UK businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand their concerns and interests.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what economic assessment he has made of the effect on industry in the event that the withdrawal agreement with the EU results in the invalidity of EU compliance activities before withdrawal day for goods placed on the market after withdrawal day.

Margot James: The Government is working towards a mutually beneficial outcome to the withdrawal negotiations. Nevertheless, a responsible government plans for contingency scenarios. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for UK businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand their concerns and interests.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what plans he has to support industry in the event that the withdrawal agreement with the EU results in the invalidity of EU compliance activities before withdrawal day for goods placed on the market after withdrawal day.

Margot James: The Government is working towards a mutually beneficial outcome to the withdrawal negotiations. Nevertheless, a responsible government plans for contingency scenarios. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for UK businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand their concerns and interests.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the contents of that position paper.

Margot James: The UK position paper ‘Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK’ was published following discussion and agreement with other Government Departments, including the Scotland Office. We will continue to work with other Government departments to inform our negotiating position as discussions with the EU progress. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. Officials are in contact with their counterparts in the Scottish Government on issues relating to the movement of goods following the UK’s exit from the EU. We will continue to work with other Government departments, including the Scotland Office, to inform our approach.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the contents of that position paper.

Margot James: Officials in the Department are working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union and other Government departments to engage with the Devolved Administrations, Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories to build consensus around our negotiating position.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with representatives of Scottish industry on the contents of that position paper.

Margot James: Officials in the Department have engaged, and continue to engage, with businesses across the United Kingdom, including those in Scotland, on a wide range of issues relating to our withdrawal from the European Union. This has included discussion on the important issue of the availability of goods on the market.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with representatives of trades unions in Scotland on the contents of that position paper.

Margot James: There is no record of any specific discussion between Ministers in this department and Scottish trade union representatives on the position paper, “Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK”. I plan shortly to hold a roundtable with trade unions on their priorities for the UK’s exit from the EU and will invite representation from Scotland.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with other EU member states on the contents of that position paper.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what representations he has made to other EU member states on the contents of that position paper.

Margot James: The Department has engaged, and continues to engage, with a range of stakeholders on all of the published position papers relevant to the work of the Department.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, whether it is the Government's policy to allow EU institutions oversight over the Government's proposals to ensure continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK; and whether it is the Government's policy to have such arrangements fall within the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

Margot James: In leaving the European Union, we will bring about an end to the direct jurisdiction of the Courts of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the UK. The UK and the EU therefore need to agree governance arrangements to ensure continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK in line with the Government’s proposals. The Dispute Resolution and Enforcement future partnership paper published on 23 August 2017 explores a number of existing precedents for such arrangements.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic effect on UK businesses of their compliance activities having to be duplicated in the EU as a result of the outcome of negotiations with the EU.

Margot James: The Government is working towards a mutually beneficial outcome to the withdrawal negotiations. Nevertheless, a responsible government plans for contingency scenarios. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for UK businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand their concerns and interests.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what plans his Department has to support industry in the event that UK businesses' compliance activities have to be duplicated in the EU as a result of the outcome of negotiations with the EU.

Margot James: Our ambition is to reach a comprehensive future agreement with the EU that builds on the commonalities between our systems. Both the UK and the EU benefit from a frictionless trading relationship in goods. The UK wants to minimise regulatory barriers as part of the future UK-EU partnership. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand and represent their concerns in the future negotiations.

Consumers: Protection

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to expand the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 which apply to consumers to (a) sole traders and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises.

Margot James: Currently there are no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to expand the provision of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 to sole traders or small and medium-sized enterprises.

Certification Quality Marks

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take steps to retain the appointment of UK notified bodies which provide third party certification for the CE marking of products sold within the EU.

Margot James: The UK’s ambition is to work towards a comprehensive future agreement with the EU, which includes securing the freest and most frictionless trade possible in goods. The UK wants to ensure a smooth exit, which minimises disruption for businesses and consumers when goods are placed on the UK and EU market. With regards to third party conformity and certification procedures, the Government aims to provide maximum legal certainty and confidence to citizens, consumers and businesses.

Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme: Northern Ireland

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many schemes in Northern Ireland have been supported by the Enterprise Finance Scheme since it was established.

Margot James: The British Business Bank’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) facilitates business loans to smaller businesses that are viable but unable to obtain finance from their lender due to having insufficient security to meet the lender’s normal requirements.Since the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme commenced in January 2009, it has facilitated 290 loans to SMEs in Northern Ireland, with a total value of over £41m.

EURATOM

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the cost to the public purse of the UK leaving Euratom.

Richard Harrington: The nature of future arrangements with Euratom and the EU will be subject to negotiation. The scope of these arrangements will determine the impact. Our aim throughout the negotiations with the European Commission will be to maintain our mutually successful civil nuclear cooperation with Euratom and the rest of the world.

Flexible Working

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what definition his Department uses of (a) flexible worker and (b) flexible working.

Margot James: The GOV.UK website describes different ways of working flexibly. This includes: job sharing; working from home; part time; compressed hours; flexitime; annualised hours; staggered hours; and phased retirement.

Boilers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support is available for low income and vulnerable households whose gas boilers have been condemned to repair or replace those boilers.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Heating: Housing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on how many households in (a) Barnsley, (b) Yorkshire and (c) the UK are without effective space heating or capacity to heat water.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Framework Programme

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the UK will contribute to the development of Framework Programme 9 before it leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The UK is keen to engage positively and productively in the discussions around FP9. The Government has made clear our interest in continued collaboration with EU partners on research and innovation. We look forward to continuing discussions with the Commission and all other interested parties.

Energy: Billing

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of energy customers who are currently on standard variable tariffs; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy estimates of customers on variable tariffs are shown in the table below. Proportion (%)Number of customers (million)Gas (GB only)6314.2Electricity6417.9 Estimates are produced from a survey of the largest energy suppliers, which covers around 83% of the market. This survey collects information on customer numbers by tariff, and BEIS categorises the data as either fixed or variable based on the tariff name supplied. The estimates for variable tariffs shown will also include some customers on non-standard variable tariffs.This data is published as part of the quarterly energy price (QEP) statistics which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-price-stastics.

Fracking: Ryedale

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has received an application for hydraulic fracturing consent for the KM8 wellsite in Ryedale, North Yorkshire.

Richard Harrington: The Department has received an application for hydraulic fracturing consent for the KM8 wellsite in Ryedale, North Yorkshire.

Property: Ownership

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to bring forward proposals to establish a register showing who owns and controls overseas legal entities which own property in the UK.

Margot James: The responses to the call for evidence are currently being analysed and a response will be published in due course.

Fracking

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to consult (a) Parliament and (b) the public prior to taking decisions on granting hydraulic fracturing consent.

Richard Harrington: There is no legal obligation to consult on associated hydraulic fracturing.

Housing: Insulation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of homes insulated at Energy Performance Certificate Band D or below in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

BAE Systems: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in Warrington in the supply chain for BAE Systems.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Ilois: Resettlement

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the evidential basis was for the calculation of the sum of the £92.4 million security costs for resettlement of Chagossians in Diego Garcia set out in his Department's consultation document of 4 August 2015; and whether his Department calculated the cost of employing a similar number of Chagossians as contract personnel.

Sir Alan Duncan: Security related estimates were based on comparable military facilities in similarly remote locations. The consultation document made clear that these estimates would need to be refined following a detailed assessment. As set out in the Exchange of Notes with the United States concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory, the employment of contract personnel on Diego Garcia is the responsibility of the United States.

Israel: Entry Clearances

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the criteria used by the Government of Israel to enforce Amendment 27 to the Entry into Israel law of 1952.

Alistair Burt: While we do not hold any information relating to this issue, we have updated our travel advice recommending that concerned UK nationals contact the Israeli Embassy for further information.

Israel: Entry Clearances

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Israel on passage or enforcement of Amendment 27 to the Entry into Israel law of 1952.

Alistair Burt: We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities. It is for Israel to decide its immigration policy. We have updated our travel advice recommending that concerned UK nationals contact the Israeli Embassy for further information.

Israel: Entry Clearances

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on lists which are used by the Government of Israel for the enforcement of Amendment 27 to the Entry into Israel law of 1952 which include the names of (a) UK Parliamentarians, (b) other UK nationals and (c) UK-based organisations.

Alistair Burt: We do not hold any information relating to this issue. It is for Israel to decide its immigration policy.

Nepal: Religious Freedom

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Nepal to amend Article 26(3) of the Nepalese constitution to uphold freedom of religion or belief in line with Nepal's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Mark Field: The Constitution of Nepal guarantees freedom of religion and belief under article 26 (1) as a fundamental right. However sub-article 3 and the new 2017 Penal Code include provisions which could limit that right. I raised the importance of ensuring freedom of religion and belief in line with international obligations and standards when I met the Nepali Ambassador on 9 October. The British Embassy in Kathmandu has also urged the Nepali Government to ensure the final wording and implementation of the new Penal Code is consistent with the rights enshrined in the international laws that Nepal has ratified.

North Korea: Guided Weapons

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe since the launch of a second ballistic missile by North Korea over Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary has not discussed this issue with Prime Minister Abe. However, following the 15 September launch the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono and Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi. The Foreign Secretary and I have had regular contact with our US, Chinese, South Korean, Japanese and EU counterparts over the past month, including at the UN General Assembly in New York. The UK and the international community have condemned the aggressive and illegal actions of the North Korean regime, and the succession of missile and nuclear tests and we stand firmly by the Republic of Korea, Japan and our other international partners.

Nepal: Religion

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for religious organisations and places of worship of having to register as non-governmental organisations in Nepal.

Mark Field: The reforms to Nepal's 2017 National Penal Code require most religious groups to register as non-governmental organisations. However, non-governmental organisations in Nepal are not permitted to promote or preach religion. This risks threatening freedom of religious expression.I raised my concerns about freedom of religious expression with the Ambassador of Nepal on 9 October with particular reference to Christian minorities. The British Embassy in Kathmandu has also raised this matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will continue to press the Government of Nepal to ensure the legal framework governing this freedom fully complies with international standards.

Belarus: Timber

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Belarus on the effect on the environment of logging in the Bialowieza forest.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK has been a long-standing advocate of environmental protection. Logging operations taking place in the Bialowieza Forest have occurred in the part of the forest located on Polish territory despite an order from the European Court of Justice to halt the practice. We have made no formal representation to the Belarusian Government on this issue.

Diplomatic Service: Tobacco

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what training or information has been provided to UK diplomatic posts on the revised guidelines for overseas posts on support to the tobacco industry since those guidelines were published in December 2013.

Mark Field: The Government has standing instructions to all diplomatic staff to follow the revised December 2013 guidelines on interactions with tobacco companies. We remind staff at diplomatic posts of these guidelines and their implications for our work overseas annually, most recently in May 2017.

Diplomatic Service: Tobacco

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many representations UK diplomatic posts have made to overseas governments on behalf of tobacco companies since the revised guidelines for overseas posts on support to the tobacco industry were published in December 2013; and on what issues and with which Governments those representations were made.

Mark Field: The Government has standing instructions to all diplomatic staff to follow the revised December 2013 guidelines on interactions with tobacco companies. In line with this guidance, assistance may be offered to counter discriminatory practices. The Government does not catalogue the representations it makes on behalf of companies.

Commonwealth: Mental Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether mental health will be included on the agenda for the Commonwealth Summit 2018.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to raise the issue of mental health and discrimination against people with mental illness at the Commonwealth Summit 2018.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minster recently announced the official theme for the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – 'Towards a Common Future' – and the four key goals which were agreed at a meeting of Commonwealth Foreign Ministers: to build a fairer, more prosperous, more secure and more sustainable future for all Commonwealth citizens.We are currently in the process of engaging with the Commonwealth Secretariat, other member states and organisations from across the Commonwealth to agree the agenda for next year's Heads of Government meeting. The Government remains committed to supporting the most marginalised in society and tackling mental illness.

Azerbaijan: LGBT People

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports of arrests of people who are (a) perceived or (b) identify as LGBT in Azerbaijan.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are deeply concerned about recent reports of some members of the LGBT community in Azerbaijan being arrested and detained by the authorities. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have raised these specific reports with the Azerbaijan Government and have received assurances that all those arrested have now been released. We monitor the human rights situation in Azerbaijan closely and we regularly press the government to meet their international human rights obligations.

Yemen: Foreign Relations

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK policy on Yemen is in the (a) short, (b) medium and (c) long-term.

Alistair Burt: We urgently need to alleviate the humanitarian crisis affecting the people of Yemen. In 2017/18, we are committing £155 million in aid to Yemen, prioritising life-saving interventions including food and nutrition support to 1.7 million people and clean water and sanitation for an expected 1.2 million people.Beyond that, restarting peace talks is our top priority. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to overcome obstacles and find a political solution to end the conflict. We have played a leading role in diplomatic efforts, including bringing together key regional and international actors to drive forward progress towards a peaceful solution. The UK continues to support the work of UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. We are providing over £1 million to the UN Special Envoy's office to bolster the UN's capacity to facilitate the peace process.In the longer term, the UK supports the development of a stable and prosperous Yemen which poses no threats to the region or internationally. Key to this will be long-term support for both reconstruction and an enduring political settlement.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2017 to Question 8037, on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: cybercrime, whether his Department requires contractors to have obtained a certificate from the Government Cyber Essentials scheme; and how many and what proportion of contractors working for his Department have obtained such a certificate.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) recognises Government Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 09/14 in its internal guidance. This PPN requires any suppliers bidding for certain high risk contracts to be 'Cyber Essentials'-certified. Current contracts are primarily those that involve the handling of personal data, and IT contracts related to sensitive information. Several of our IT contracts are through G-Cloud or other Government Digital frameworks; in line with the PPN these are already subject to comprehensive cyber security obligations and exempt from Cyber Essentials.The FCO requires a privacy impact assessment for projects, programmes and policies which will involve the use of personal data in any way – this includes the collection, storage, transfer and/or disclosure of such data. As part of this assessment our IT security advisors review the security protocols of partner organisations where appropriate.Authority to enter into contracts is devolved to directorates and departments within the FCO in London as well as the global network. It would take a disproportionate amount of time to determine how many contracts hold the Cyber Essentials certification.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's policy towards Saudi Arabia as a result of alleged war crimes in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The UK supports the Saudi-led Coalition military intervention, which came at the request of legitimate President Hadi, to deter aggression by the Houthis, and allow for the return of the legitimate Yemeni government. We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and we take these very seriously. It is important that credible allegations of violations of IHL are investigated. We regularly press the need for the Saudi-led Coalition to conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into reports of alleged violations of IHL. Saudi Arabia has publicly stated that it is investigating reports of alleged violations of IHL, and that lessons will be acted upon. We welcome the reports issued by the Joint Incidents Assessment Team, including the 15 reports issued on 12 September (taking the total number to 36). We will continue to press the Saudi-led Coalition to demonstrate its commitment to IHL.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi counterpart on the challenges faced by humanitarian agencies delivering aid to Yemen.

Alistair Burt: Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a key priority for the UK and we continue to raise the issue in regular Ministerial-level conversations with our regional and international partners. The Foreign Secretary raised the humanitarian situation in his discussion with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on 25 AugustThe UK has also taken the lead in urging all parties to ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. This call was repeated by the UN Security Council Presidential Statement proposed and coordinated by the UK in June. This September at the UN General Assembly I hosted a Ministerial-level meeting with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US and UN Special Envoy for Yemen. All recognized the dire humanitarian situation and agreed that more must be done to alleviate immediate need.

John Cantlie

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to assess the condition of John Henry Cantlie and to secure his release.

Sir Alan Duncan: We do not comment publicly on our operational response to kidnapping. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to support Mr Cantlie's family at this very difficult time.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the benefit of using multilateral forums to resolve disagreements with the Government of Mauritius about the Chagos Islands.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is clear about its sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, which it administers as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), and strongly rejects Mauritius' claim that the Territory is part of Mauritius. This is a bilateral issue and we are committed to resolving it through bilateral discussions. We are disappointed that the UN General Assembly has referred this bilateral issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an Advisory Opinion. This is an inappropriate use of the ICJ Advisory Opinion mechanism and sets an unwelcome precedent for other bilateral issues. We will robustly defend our position at the ICJ.

Libya

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when last he had discussions with (a) his Libyan counterpart, (b) the British Ambassador to Libya and (c) the Mayor of Sirte.

Alistair Burt: The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to help stabilise Libya and to tackle the threat from Daesh and the migration crisis. The Foreign Secretary visited Libya in May and again in August; he met with his Libyan counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Siyala and the British Ambassador to Libya on both of these occasions. While the Foreign Secretary has not met the Mayor of Sirte, he did meet Libyan representatives of the Libya Mine Action Centre involved in demining efforts in Sirte during his August visit. The British Ambassador to Libya last met the Mayor of Sirte on 4 October in Tripoli. The Ambassador and other Foreign Office officials regularly provide updates and advice to the Foreign Secretary on developments in Libya.The UK remains committed to helping the people of Sirte rebuild their lives and to recover from the damage caused by Daesh. In August, the Foreign Secretary outlined a package of support, including £4 million worth of assistance to help clear unexploded ordnance and landmines.

Capital Punishment: Homosexuality

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed the UN Human Rights Council Resolution condemning the use of the death penalty as a means of punishment for consensual same-sex relations with (a) his US counterpart and (b) the UK Permanent representative at the UN.

Mark Field: The UK has a long standing policy of opposing the death penalty in all circumstances. This was reflected in the UK's support for the Resolution on the Death Penalty at the thirty sixth session of the Human Rights Council in September 2017. The UK Permanent Representation engaged with a broad cross-section of the Council's membership on the Resolution. This included engagement with the US Permanent Representation to the UN in Geneva, rather than at the level of foreign ministers. The UK Government was pleased to see twenty-seven members of the Human Rights Council vote in favour of the Resolution.

Andargachew Tsege

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a family visit for Andy Tsege has been (a) secured and (b) scheduled.

Rory Stewart: Mr Tsege is regularly visited in prison by his family members based in Ethiopia. Any visits from family members based outside of Ethiopia are subject to a visa application and permission being granted from the Ethiopian prison authorities. The British Government raises Mr Tsege's case frequently and the Ethiopian government are in no doubt about our concerns and the priority we place upon his wellbeing.

Burma: Human Rights

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Myanmar Government on allowing access for human rights observers to Rakhine State.

Mark Field: The UK co-sponsored the resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in March this year which set up a Fact Finding Mission to look into the human rights situation in Burma, following the events in Rakhine State in October 2016. At the Human Rights Council in Geneva in September, the UK took part in an Interactive Dialogue with the Fact Finding Mission and supported the resolution to extend the mandate of the Mission to include the deteriation since 25 August in Rahkine. We continue to urge the Government of Burma, and in particular the military, to cooperate with the UN Fact Finding Mission and its mandate and to enable access for the Mission to Rakhine State.

Burma: Sanctions

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with his foreign counterparts on the imposition of sanctions against the Myanmar Government.

Mark Field: Ministers are actively discussing the situation in Rakhine with a number of foreign counterparts. We have also raised Rakhine three times at the UN Security Council since 25 August. We continue to consider with other Council members what further action can be taken to press the Burmese Government to resolve the situation in Rakhine and ensure the safe return of the displaced Rohingya from BangladeshWe are also working with EU partners to consider possible measures, which would follow the UK's lead in suspending defence assistance and visits to EU countries by Burmese senior military figures responsible for the violence in Rakhine state.

Bangladesh: British American Tobacco

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has given assistance to British American Tobacco in its challenge to the claim for unpaid VAT brought against it by the Government of Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: Her Majesty’s Government continues to engage with the Government of Bangladesh over what is, in our view, discriminatory action against a British company. Guidance was issued in December 2013 to assist compliance with the World Health Organisation’s Frame​work Convention on Tobacco Control and we have observed the guidelines for support to the tobacco industry at all times.

International Assistance: Security

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government's Overseas Justice and Security Assistance guidelines are being applied consistently across government.

Mark Field: As the Foreign Secretary stated in his written ministerial statement of 26 January 2017, we remain confident that the new OSJA process remains the most comprehensive and demanding tool of its type anywhere in the world. In countries where HMG is regularly engaged in security and justice assistance, the relevant diplomatic mission maintains an in-country assessment and provides it to all interested departments or agencies to aid them and provide consistency in the OSJA process. Diplomatic missions which regularly produce OSJA assessments pool expertise from across HMG to ensure that they are as comprehensive and expert as possible. Senior officials from Government also meet to share feedback and lessons learned and to address challenges to the implementation of the OSJA guidance.The FCO engaged with a number of human rights organisations (including members of the Foreign Secretary's Advisory Group on Human Rights), as part of the recent revision of the OSJA guidance, and will continue to do so with regard to its implementation.OSJA assessments completed for specific projects or interventions are working documents, and are regularly updated in line with developments in the country concerned. Information on the number of OSJA assessments completed over the past three calendar years, and the countries assessed, is not held centrally or readily available, and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. We will, however, collate information on completed OSJA assessments for inclusion in the FCO's next Annual Human Rights Report. This will be an estimate of the number of OSJA assessments carried out during the current financial year and a quantitative analysis of their geographical use. This will also summarise steps taken to implement the OSJA guidance across Government.

Overseas Aid: Human Rights

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure its provision of overseas assistance is in accordance with the Government's human rights obligations.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its implementation of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to publish how it ensures the adequate implementation of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has received on its implementation of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments his Department has made in the last three calendar years.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for which countries his Department has made Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments in the last three years.

Mark Field: ​The Government applies its Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) guidance to ensure that such assistance meets its human rights obligations and values. This guidance was revised and re-published in January 2017.As the Foreign Secretary stated in his written ministerial statement of 26 January 2017, we remain confident that the new OSJA process remains the most comprehensive and demanding tool of its type anywhere in the world. In countries where HMG is regularly engaged in security and justice assistance, the relevant diplomatic mission maintains an in-country assessment and provides it to all interested departments or agencies to aid them and provide consistency in the OSJA process. Diplomatic missions which regularly produce OSJA assessments pool expertise from across HMG to ensure that they are as comprehensive and expert as possible. Senior officials from Government also meet to share feedback and lessons learned and to address challenges to the implementation of the OSJA guidance.The FCO engaged with a number of human rights organisations (including members of the Foreign Secretary's Advisory Group on Human Rights), as part of the recent revision of the OSJA guidance, and will continue to do so with regard to its implementation.OSJA assessments completed for specific projects or interventions are working documents, and are regularly updated in line with developments in the country concerned. Information on the number of OSJA assessments completed over the past three calendar years, and the countries assessed, is not held centrally or readily available, and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. We will, however, collate information on completed OSJA assessments for inclusion in the FCO's next Annual Human Rights Report. This will be an estimate of the number of OSJA assessments carried out during the current financial year and a quantitative analysis of their geographical use. This will also summarise steps taken to implement the OSJA guidance across Government.

Libya: Terrorism

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to discuss with the Libyan Government compensation for people affected by Libyan-sponsored terrorism in the UK.

Alistair Burt: We continue to encourage the Libyan authorities to engage constructively with victims of Qadhafi-sponsored Irish Republican Army terrorism and their representatives. The Foreign Secretary raised this issue with Prime Minister Serraj and Foreign Minister Siala during both his visits to Tripoli in May and August of this year. I met with victims earlier this week to understand their concerns in more detail, and will continue to raise this issue with the Libyan authorities as a priority.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 9881, on North Korea: sanctions, if he will list the (a) specific outreach activities undertaken by the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee with direct financial support from the Government and (b) total amounts of funding provided by the Government for each such activity.

Boris Johnson: The UK has funded a series of regional outreach activities to raise awareness and strengthen the effective implementation of UN Security Council resolutions related to the DPRK. The projects brought the UN Panel of Experts together with governments from each region and were delivered by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Events were held in Dubai and Hong Kong (in 2013, for a total amount of £90,005), Addis Ababa (2014, £77,707), and Johannesburg (2016, £58,422). The UK also supported a project focused on South East Asia, though it was only partially delivered (2015, £12,569).

Guam and Hawaii: NATO

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK's obligations under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty are in relation to (a) Guam and (b) Hawaii; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: Article 6 of the Washington Treaty defines the geographical scope of Article 5 primarily as 'the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America' or 'islands under the jurisdiction of any of the Parties in the North Atlantic Area north of the Tropic of Cancer.' However, any attack against the United States, whether directed against Hawaii, Guam, or another US state or territory, is likely to be part of a major conflict. In such a case, either the consultation provisions of Article 4 or the collective defence provisions of Article 5 would plainly apply, and the decision of the North Atlantic Council would determine the response of the Alliance.

North Korea: South Korea

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK is under any obligation to provide military support to the Republic of Korea in the event of a resumption of hostilities on the Korean peninsular under the terms of (a) the Joint Policy Declaration on the Korean Armistice, signed in Washington DC on 27 July 1953, (b) any resolution of the UN Security Council or (c) any other international treaty agreement.

Mark Field: The UK is not under a legal obligation to provide military support to the Republic of Korea. We continue to be an active member of the United Nations Command which, since the end of the Korean War, has continued its important work to maintain the armistice agreement between the two sides. We also enjoy a strong and growing bilateral security and defence relationship with the Republic of Korea.

North Korea: Biological Weapons and Chemical Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) size and (b) content of North Korea's stockpiles of (i) chemical and (ii) biological weapons.

Boris Johnson: It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on matters relating to intelligence or national security.

South Korea: USA

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in (a) the US and (b) South Korea on the potential basing of US tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea.

Boris Johnson: I have had no discussions with my US or South Korean counterparts about any proposal to base US nuclear weapons in South Korea. Both the US and South Korean governments have dismissed media reports that plans are being considered to re-introduce US nuclear weapons to South Korea.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of a decision by the US Administration to cease implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran on the prospects for resuming multilateral negotiations on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

Boris Johnson: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action strengthens the international non-proliferation regime and demonstrates that diplomacy can solve difficult international issues. In contrast the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s flagrant violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions has continued - and its missile and nuclear tests accelerated - over recent years, underlining that the actions of the regime are the principal obstacle to meaningful dialogue. We have to continue to build the international pressure on the DPRK regime to change its behaviour and open the way to dialogue.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on a ceasefire in Yemen being sought by means of a UN Security Council resolution; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The military intervention by the Saudi-led Coalition came at the request of President Hadi, who was forced to flee Sana’a when the city fell to the Houthi's. The aim is to facilitate the return of the legitimate Yemeni government. The UK continues to play a leading role in supporting the UN’s efforts to facilitate a peaceful solution, including by bringing together leading regional and international players and through leadership in multilateral fora. In June the UK sponsored and coordinated a UN Security Council Presidential Statement, which called upon the parties to agree the modalities for a ceasefire, address the humanitarian crisis, and restart political talks. We are now working urgently with our partners to ensure that the Security Council's words are converted into action.

Mexico: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Mexico.

Sir Alan Duncan: Mexico faces significant threats from the full spectrum of serious and organised crime. Violence and insecurity stemming from this criminal activity, exacerbated by chronic corruption and impunity, is a huge and growing problem – with 2017 set to become the most violent year since records began in the 1990s. The Foreign Secretary and I look forward to discussing the political and security situation in Mexico when we meet the Mexican Foreign Minister in London on 19 October. The political focus in Mexico remains on the consequences of the earthquakes of 7 and 19 September. We are also supporting the Mexican Government’s efforts to tackle underlying justice and security issues, including through Prosperity Fund programmes to promote transparency and support the consolidation of Mexico’s new adversarial justice system.

Burma: Rohingya

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Myanmar counterpart on the treatment of the Rohingya people.

Mark Field: On 7 and 17 September, the Foreign Secretary spoke to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to express the UK's concerns about the situation in Rakhine and to call for an end to the violence in Rakhine State, safe return for refugees, full humanitarian access and implementation of the Annan Commission's recommendations. On 18 September, the Foreign Secretary hosted a meeting in New York with other Foreign Ministers, Burma's National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Tin, to urge Burma to heed the United Nations Security Council's call for immediate steps to end the violence in Rakhine. I reiterated these messages when I met Burma's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs at the UN on 20 September and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 27 September, during my three day visit to Burma.

Colombia: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Colombia.

Sir Alan Duncan: Colombia has had an historic year, with the FARC laying down arms and the ELN ceasefire starting on 1 October. Following President Santos’ State Visit in 2016, the UK continues to work closely with Colombia to improve conditions for long term peace and prosperity, and strengthen cooperation across our bilateral relationship.

Commonwealth: Malaria

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with international counterparts on the inclusion of malaria in the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in the UK in April 2018.

Alistair Burt: The Government is a world leader in the fight against malaria and the second largest international funder of efforts to fight the disease. Bilaterally, the UK has committed £1.1bn to the global fight against malaria over 2017 – 2019. Malaria is a key issue for many Commonwealth citizens. We are working with member states and the Commonwealth Secretariat to examine options for the agenda of the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Libya: Terrorism

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to Libyan authorities on the reparations for victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism in the UK.

Alistair Burt: We continue to encourage the Libyan authorities to engage constructively with victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism and their representatives. The Foreign Secretary raised this issue with Prime Minister Serraj and Foreign Minister Siala during his visits to Tripoli in May and August of this year. I met with victims last week to understand their concerns in more detail, and will continue to raise this issue with the Libyan authorities as a priority.

Burma: Rohingya

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts to support policies to pressure the military of Myanmar to halt human rights abuses against the Rohingya people, including (a) coordinated EU support for a UN mandated global arms embargo on Myanmar, (b) EU-wide visa bans on military personnel with exceptions made only for meetings specifically on human rights, (c) an expansion of the existing EU arms embargo to ban companies from supplying any kind of equipment to the Myanmar military, (d) a ban on new investment in and business relationships with military-owned companies and members of the military and their families, (e) an end, in all EU member states, to any form of Government-based training and co-operation with the military in Myanmar and (f) coordinated EU support for the reinstatement of the Annual General Assembly Resolution on human rights in Burma.

Mark Field: In preparation for the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 16 October, UK officials have been in discussion with their EU counterparts to consider the EU response to the deterioating situation in Rakhine. Earlier this year the UK argued successfully for the continuation of the EU Arms Embargo for Burma, and will continue to do so. During September the UK has suspended Burmese military visits and defence education.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Civil Service secondment and interchange strategy was last updated.

Caroline Nokes: The Civil Service Workforce Plan (2016) sets out the importance of movement in and out of the Civil Service, in order to exchange skills and expertise and enable the Civil Service to respond to changing priorities and deliver Government commitments. The Civil Service Talent Board oversees the approach to secondments and regularly reviews this. It last discussed it in May 2017, and considered how to build on the work of the High Potential Secondments Programme and how to ensure we are using secondments to meet capability needs, particularly in relation to the EU exit.

Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on centralising the senior recruitment function in the Civil Service as set out in the Civil Service Workforce Plan 2016.

Caroline Nokes: The Civil Service Executive Recruitment expert service was established in 2013 andformally launched in 2014 to deliver a centralised recruitment function for senior rolesacross the Civil Service. This approach ensures that departments are provided with expertguidance on attracting and selecting a diverse range of quality candidates. The expertservice currently covers approximately 40% of all SCS recruitment and has facilitated therecruitment of over 900 individuals since it was established.

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's definition is of the acceptable risk parameters for the cyber security of all Government services referred to in paragraph 5.2.7 of the Government's National Cyber Security Strategy 2016 to 2021.

Caroline Nokes: HMG uses a mature risk management process to balance functionality, security, risk and costThrough this process Risk Owners determine the risks they are willing to tolerate to their services,largely based on potential impact, and make sure that appropriate mitigations are in place. TheNational Cyber Security Centre publishes advice on cyber risk management and technical designprinciples to help service owners make consistent risk decisions.

Government Departments: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the level of risk to Government cyber-security of human error by civil servants.

Caroline Nokes: Basic cyber security awareness is an essential protection against attacks such as email phishing and departments are already providing training for their staff on this. Government is also developing a security culture strategy to enable civil servants to help counter a range of security risks. In addition, the National Cyber Security Centre’s new Active Defence Measures will ensure that government systems have increased protection from phishing and other cyber attacks.

Cybercrime

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the cyber security standards set out in paragraph 5.3.11 of the National Cyber Security Strategy were implemented.

Caroline Nokes: The Government is committed to ensuring that the commitments set out in the National CyberSecurity Strategy 2016 – 2021 are carried out and that we accurately monitor and regularly reporton progress in meeting them. The Cyber Security Standards, which define the minimum securitymeasures that departments must implement with regards to protecting their technology and digitalservices to meet HMG Security Policy Framework obligations, are due to be issued in November2017.

Government Departments: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7589, whether the Minister has made an assessment of differences in risk levels to cyber security between Civil Service staff and staff working for private firms contracted to do work by the Government.

Caroline Nokes: All roles with access to sensitive information or systems are risk assessed. Staff andcontractors are vetted to the appropriate level to manage these risks.Contractors working for Government departments are subject to the same securitystandards and training as civil servants depending on their access to government systemsand information. Basic cyber security awareness is an essential protection against attackssuch as email phishing and departments are already providing training for their staff andcontractors on this.

Government Property Unit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8211, on the Government Property Unit, how many formal meetings the unit had with each departmental head of estates in the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: The Government Property Unit has held six formal governance meetings of the Property Leaders Board in the last twelve months. In addition ten bilateral meetings, covering the full range of GPU’s business with a department or departmental estates cluster, have been held since September 2016. One cluster now covers seven government departments. As stated in the response on 12 September 2017 there have also been a number of other formal meetings with departments on GPU programmes and the development of policy. These will have involved some heads of estates, but data on attendees by job role will have been captured in meeting minutes only and is not recorded in a central database.

Government Departments: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7589, on cybercrime, how much is spent on this type of training for (a) staff and (b) contractors.

Caroline Nokes: The government does not hold figures on the breakdown of security training delivered tostaff and contractors centrally. Departments are responsible for ensuring their staff andcontractors are appropriately trained, subject to their role, business context and specificrisksWe recognise that targeted training to drastically reduce human error by staff andcontractors is crucial to delivering the National Cyber Security Strategy. We haveestablished a Government Security Profession to provide a consistent approach to cybersecurity skills development across government.

Government Departments: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2017 to Question 7365, on Government departments: cybercrime, if he will list the 44 government organisations that are using DNS filtering.

Caroline Nokes: We do hold the names of organisations using the DNS filtering service. At this timegovernment is not publishing this information while we establish the DNS filtering serviceWe intend to publish this data internally within HMG at a future date to effect positivebehavioural changes across government. As of the end of September 2017, 73government organisations are using this service.

Civil Servants: Career Development

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many fast stream civil servants work abroad after completing their five-month European placements.

Caroline Nokes: The first cycle of Fast Stream Civil Servants who have completed a five-month European Placement has just ended. Therefore, the Cabinet Office does not currently hold that information.Being able to track the careers of Fast Streamers after they have successfully completed the scheme is essential to understand how well we are delivering the Programme's overall goal of being a pipeline of diverse talent into the Senior Civil Service.

Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 7039, on senior civil servants: recruitment, if he will provide those figures by (a) Department, (b) profession, (c) function and (d) grade.

Caroline Nokes: We are currently undertaking a data-cleansing exercise on the relevant source data andare therefore unable to provide the requested breakdowns at this time due todisproportionate costs. I will ask officials to write to the Hon member once the informationis available.

Government Departments: Email

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8517, on government departments: email, when the mail check service was introduced; and what proportion of total relevant domains those figures represent.

Caroline Nokes: The Mail Check service was launched in February 2017. In October of this year 1,685domains were covered by this service. We do not hold the total number of domains acrossgovernment and so are unable to comment on this figure as a proportion of the whole.The National Cyber Security Centre is operating a Domain Discovery service that willultimately give us a much clearer understanding of the government digital estate.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8509, on electronic government: proof of identity, what the average success rate for users has been in each month since May 2016.

Caroline Nokes: Data on the average completion success rate for GOV.UK Verify is published on a weekly basis on the GOV.UK website. The average monthly success rate since May 2016 is:May 16 - 34% (with a 64% success rate for the highest performing service (hps))June 16 - 32% (65% hps)July 16 - 34% (69% hps)August 16 - 36% (69% hps)September 16 - 36% (66% hps)October 16 - 35% (65% hps)November 16 - 36% (74% hps)December 16 - 40% (70% hps)January 17 - 49% (66% hps)February 17 - 34% (64% hps)March 17 - 33% (67% hps)April 17 - 43.25% (72% hps)May 17 - 39% (72% hps)June 17 - 37% (74% hps)July 17 - 37% (72% hps)August 17 - 38% (73% hps)

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 9192, on electronic government: proof of identity, how many users of the Government Verify Scheme there have been in each (a) Department and (b) year since 2013.

Caroline Nokes: The GOV.UK Verify scheme is currently used by 6 government departments and agencies, across 13 publicly-available services. The full list of services accessible through GOV.UK Verify is published on the GOV.UK website and is regularly updated.The total number of times services have been accessed through GOV.UK Verify currently stands at 3.86 million, from 1.52 million accounts.

Public Sector: Cybercrime

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to protect public services against cyber attacks.

Caroline Nokes: The Government takes the threat of cyber attacks against public services very seriously. We support Health and Local Government sectors in improving their cyber resilience and encourage all organisations to implement the National Cyber Security Centre’s advice: to keep software patches up to date, to run antivirus and to back up their data.In addition to this, the NCSC is developing Active Cyber Defence initiatives which will lead national efforts to block, disrupt and neutralise malicious cyber activity before it reaches our public services.

Civil Servants

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the size of the Civil Service workforce.

Caroline Nokes: Workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each department. The Civil Serviceconstantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government's commitment toleave the EU and get the best deal for the UK. Civil Service HR is working with alldepartments across the Civil Service to better understand their capacity and capabilityrequirements.

Government Departments: Broadband

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average broadband download speed is across the Government estate (a) in and (b) outside London.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not held by the Cabinet Office.

Wales Office

Welsh Government: Legal Costs

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much the Government has spent from the public purse on undertaking legal cases against the Government of Wales since 2011.

Guto Bebb: The UK Government has spent £162,913 since 2011 relating to the referral of cases to the Supreme Court concerning the legislative competence of the National Assembly for Wales. No costs have been incurred since 2014.

Wales Office: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office does not procure iron and steel.

Public Sector: Pay

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on lifting the public sector pay cap.

Alun Cairns: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury set out the Government’s position on public sector pay in the House of Commons on 12 September 2017.A copy of this statement is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-09-12/HCWS127I have discussed this issue with other members of the Government, including the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Department for Education

Employment: Bullying

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Government Department is responsible for collecting reports of (a) anti-Semitic, (b) Islamophobic, (c) racist and (d) homophobic bullying in the work place.

Nick Gibb: The Government does not systematically collect such reports but the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the independent public body sponsored by the Government Equalities Office, is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of equality and human rights legislation. The Commission’s report ‘How Fair is Britain?’ (2010) and follow up research report 74 (“Public authority commitment and action to eliminate targeted harassment and violence”) included data about unlawful harassment in the workplace. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service provides advice on employment rights and workplace disputes. Its study, ‘Seeking better solutions: tackling bullying and ill-treatment in Britain's workplaces’ (2015) looked at the latest research on workplace bullying.

Apprentices

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that funding levels for apprenticeships could not be negatively affected by macro-economic trends in wage levels.

Anne Milton: The apprenticeship budget has been set until 2020 to support the Government’s commitment to 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. This budget does not change irrespective of wider economic trends. By 2020 the total apprenticeships investment in England will be almost £2.5 billion; double what was spent in 2010-11.

Schools: Uniforms

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps shehas taken against schools that do not comply with the guidance issued by her Department on the importance of cost considerations when developing school uniform policy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department’s best practice guidance makes clear that schools should give the highest priority to the consideration of cost when setting their uniform policy. We expect schools to consult with parents and pupils and take into account their views when setting their uniform policy.Disputes about school uniforms should be resolved locally in accordance with the school’s complaints policy. In law, governing bodies must have a complaints procedure in place to deal with issues such as a complaint about school uniform. Parents should be able to lodge their complaints and/or objections with the school easily. We expect the governing body to work closely with parents to arrive at a mutually acceptable outcome.The guidance can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.We intend to put this guidance on a statutory footing when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.

Students: Loans

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total amount, including interest, is of student loans owed by (a) all students and (b) students who commenced their studies after 2011.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics covering English student loans are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/full-catalogue-of-official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx. Information on English higher education loans outstanding by repayment plan can be found in Table 1a of the SFR. At the end of the financial year 2016-17, around £89.3 billion was outstanding in English higher education loans, of which £45.0 billion was held by post-2012 undergraduate borrowers and a further £0.3 billion by master’s loan borrowers.

Students: Loans

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the outstanding total on the student loan book for students is interest.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics covering English student loans are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/full-catalogue-of-official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx. Interest added to student loans is capitalised. This means that it is not possible to separate the amount associated with the loan principal from the interest accrued on the total loan book in the way requested.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the per pupil minimum funding level is a temporary feature of the funding formula until the age-weighted pupil funding has been raised sufficiently to render it unnecessary.

Nick Gibb: We have now set out our final national funding formula for schools, following a consultation in which we heard from over 26,000 individual respondents and representative organisations.We are recognising the challenges of the very lowest funded schools by introducing a minimum per pupil funding level. In 2019-20 all secondary schools will attract at least £4,800 per pupil, and all primary schools will attract at least £3,500 per pupil. In 2018-19, as a step towards these minimum funding levels, secondary schools will attract at least £4,600, and primary schools £3,300.Decisions about spending after 2019-20 will be subject to the next Spending Review.

Schools: Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's national funding formula tables for schools and high needs, what deflator was used to calculate that per pupil funding will be maintained in real terms over the years 2018-19 and 2019-20; and what the reasons were for the choice of that deflator.

Nick Gibb: The Department uses the GDP deflator to calculate real terms funding levels. This is consistent with practice across government, including for the purpose of the 2015 Spending Review. The Government publishes GDP deflators that can be used to understand the impact of inflation over time. These are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gdp-deflators-at-market-prices-and-money-gdp-march-2017-spring-budget-2017

Schools: Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's national funding formula tables for schools and high needs, whether the per pupil funding levels set out will be maintained in real terms over the years 2018-19 and 2019-20 in the event that teachers and other elements of the education workforce are awarded pay increases higher than one per cent during that period.

Nick Gibb: The national funding formulae we announced on 14 September sets out the changes to the schools budget in 2018-19 and 2019-20. For the next two years, allocations of school funding to local authorities will be based on what schools are notionally allocated through the national formula. Individual schools will have their actual funding determined through formulae set by their local authorities. The Department does not prescribe to schools how they must use their funding allocations. There is a statutory process in place to review teachers’ pay and we will be asking the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) later this year to make recommendations taking into consideration key factors such as recruitment and retention, as well as affordability.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of schools that will receive the (a) minimum and (b) maximum increase in school funding.

Nick Gibb: The national funding formula for schools will allocate a cash increase in respect of every school and every local area from April 2018. Final decisions on local distribution will be taken by local authorities, but under the national funding formula every school will attract at least 0.5% more per pupil in 2018‑19, and 1% more in 2019-20, compared to its baseline. 41.3% of schools will benefit as a consequence of the funding floor. The NFF will provide for gains for underfunded schools of up to 3% per pupil in 2018-19 and a further 3% per pupil in 2019-20. Of these schools, 4,240 schools or 21.4% are set to gain at least 6% by 2019-20. The lowest funded schools will benefit from the minimum per pupil funding level of £4,800 for secondary schools and £3,500 for primary schools. The minimum level of funding will not be subject to the gains cap within the national funding formula, and so will deliver faster gains in respect of the very lowest funded schools. Full details of the formula and its impact is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/648532/national_funding_formula_for_schools_and_high_needs-Policy_document.pdf.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools' national funding formula allocations are more than (a) 10 per cent below, (b) 20 per cent below, (c) 10 per cent above and (d) 20 per cent above baseline.

Nick Gibb: In July we announced an additional £1.3 billion for the schools budget across 2018-19 and 2019-20, over and above the budget announced at the 2015 spending review. Core funding for schools and high needs will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19 and £43.5 billion in 2019-20. This will allow us to maintain school and high needs funding in real terms per pupil for the next two years. As a result of this funding, no school will lose funding as a result of the National Funding Formula (NFF). The formula will allocate a cash increase in respect of every school and every local area from April 2018. Final decisions on local distribution will be taken by local authorities, but under the national funding formula every school will attract at least 0.5% more per pupil in 2018‑19, and 1% more in 2019-20, compared to its baseline. All schools will attract higher levels of funding under the national funding formula, with 8,405 (42.3%) of all schools set to gain over 3% and 4,240 (21.4%) over 6%.1268 schools would receive gains of 10% or more compared to their baseline if the NFF were implemented in full immediately, and 79 schools would receive gains of 20% or more. Illustrative allocations for schools under the NFF is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of how long it will take for all schools at the current rate of increase to be funded at their national funding formula levels.

Nick Gibb: We have now set out our final national funding formula for schools, following a consultation in which we heard from over 26,000 individual respondents and representative organisations.We are making significant progress towards the formula, with underfunded schools receiving gains of up to 6%, per pupil, by 2019-20.Decisions about spending after 2019-20 will be subject to the next Spending Review.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools are in receipt of top-up funding in order to reach their minimum funding level.

Nick Gibb: For those schools with the lowest level of funding, the national funding formula will provide local authorities with minimum per pupil funding levels of £3,500 for all primary schools and £4,800 for all secondary schools by 2019-20. In 2016-19, the minimum levels will be £3,300 for primaries schools and £4,600 for secondary schools. 2,069 schools nationally will attract this additional funding under the national funding formulae.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recent TES and NUT survey findings on the proportion of teachers reporting that they had been to pay for items or contribute cash on account of school funding shortages.

Nick Gibb: Standards are rising across our school system and our new fairer funding formula will ensure we can build on that success. It will replace the outdated funding system which saw children have very different amounts invested in their education purely because of where they were growing up. The introduction of the national funding formulae is supported by significant extra funding of £1.3bn across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review in 2015. Core funding for schools and high needs will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19 and £43.5 billion in 2019-20. This will allow us to maintain school and high needs funding in real terms per pupil for the next two years.We believe schools are best placed to make decisions about how to use their funding to deliver the best outcomes for their pupils. No teacher is required to make a financial contribution towards the education provided by their school and this includes the supply of any books, materials or equipment.We recognise that many schools have worked hard up to this point to manage cost pressures on their budgets and we will continue to provide support, guidance and tools to help schools maximise their efficiency and long-term financial health.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to reply to the letter of 23 June 2017 from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on funding for apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: Our records show that a response to the letter from the MP of 23 June was issued on 25 July. I apologise for the typing error in the email address and the delay in providing a response. The response was re-issued to the correct email address on 9 October.

Schools: North West

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to each North West local education authority in round one of the strategic school improvement fund.

Nick Gibb: The Departmental regions were reconfigured in 2014 with the appointment of Regional Schools Commissioners. The Lancashire and West Yorkshire region covers much of what was previously recognised as the North West. One local authority in the Lancashire and West Yorkshire region is a lead applicant in a successful Round 1 application to the Strategic School Improvement Fund (SSIF). This is Blackburn with Darwen and the bid is worth approximately £195,000. Schools in a further 12 local authorities in the Lancashire and West Yorkshire region will receive funding from Round 1 of the SSIF, either as named providers, or because there are successful applications supporting schools in their areas. The sum total of this additional support is approximately £4 million. In addition to the SSIF, the School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering Grant of £50 million per year is being provided to local authorities to allow them to continue to monitor performance of maintained schools, broker school improvement provision, and intervene as appropriate. Approximately £5.25 million has been paid to local authorities in the Lancashire and West Yorkshire region from the first allocation of this grant, covering the period from September 2017 to March 2018.

Construction: National Vocational Qualifications

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many young people in England completed a Level 1 award in construction followed by an on-site NVQ in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Anne Milton: In the 2015/16 academic year, 22,410 learners aged under 19 completed a Level 1 qualification in the 'Construction, Planning and the Built Environment' Sector Subject Area. The Department does not hold information on the number of students progressing from level 1 construction courses to on-site NVQs.

Faith Schools: Recruitment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether English schools designated with a religious character are able to give preference in connection  with the appointment of a teacher to a person whose religious opinions are in accordance with the tenets of the religion of the school even in cases where a genuine professional or occupational requirement on the basis of religion does not apply to the post in question.

Anne Milton: Schools with a religious character have the freedom in law - Sections 58 and 60 of the School Standards Framework Act 1998 (SSFA) - to take faith into account when employing teachers. Our expectation is that schools with a religious character will balance the need to maintain the religious character of their school with that of securing the best staff for their school. Alongside this, school leaders are very aware they must comply with employment law and their responsibilities under the Equality Act when making appointments.

Open University: Overseas Students

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations officials of her Department have made to the Open University on its policy of not accepting students from Cuba, Syria and Iran.

Joseph Johnson: We are aware of the interest around this issue and, at the request of the Open University, officials from the Department for Education, the Department for International Trade, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have met the Open University to discuss its use of a restricted countries list in its application process, focusing on Cuba. We are continuing to work together to find a long-term solution to this issue.

Association of Independent LSCB Chairs

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 8 March 2016 to Question 29036, how much funding her Department has provided to the Association of Independent Local Safeguarding Children's Board Chairs in 2016-17.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education awarded the Association of Independent LSCB Chairs a grant of £25,000 in the financial year 2016-17.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfe-and-executive-agency-spend-over-25000-2016-to-2017.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on adjusting the total budget allocation for the early years national funding formula to take account of inflation in 2017.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of business rates of increases on the (a) number and (b) quality of early years settings in England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are increasing spending on childcare to over £6 billion per year by 2019-20 which includes £1 billion a year to deliver 30 hours of free childcare and increase our hourly funding rates. Our new funding rates are based on our ‘Review of Childcare Costs’ which looked at both the current costs of childcare provision and the implications of future cost pressures facing the sector. The Review was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. The Government’s total hourly funding rate for three- and four-year olds (national average to local authorities) increased from £4.56 to £4.94 in April 2017. This compares very favourably with research into the cost of childcare, published by Frontier Economics in July 2017, which shows that the mean hourly delivery cost of a three/four year old place was £3.72. The Government has also increased Small Business Rate Relief and provided authorities with funding to support £300m of discretionary business rates relief, which could be used to support local nurseries.

Schools: Transport

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of ending free school transport at 16-years old on the number of students continuing to study to age 18; and what estimate she has made of the quantum of costs per student for people aged over 16 not able to use free school transport.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education’s latest participation figures suggest that the cost of travelling to education or training is not deterring young people from participating post-16. At the end of 2016, the proportion of academic age 16 and 17-year-olds (those young people under a duty to participate) in education or an apprenticeship rose to 91.1% - the highest level since consistent records began in 1994. The statutory responsibility for transport to education or training for 16 to 18 year olds rests with local authorities and they are expected to make appropriate decisions bearing in mind local circumstances. While arrangements made by authorities do not have to include free or subsidised transport, most young people do have access to a discount or concession on local bus or train travel, either from their local authority, transport provider, school or college. The £180 million 16 to 19 Bursary Fund is available to help disadvantaged young people to access education and training, and is often used to help with transport costs.

Private Education

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students aged between 11 and 18 are studying in fee-paying schools in England.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of students aged between 11 and 18 who are studying in fee-paying schools in Scotland.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of students aged between 11 and 18 who are studying in fee-paying schools in Northern Ireland.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of students aged between 11 and 18 who are studying in fee-paying schools in Wales.

Anne Milton: Figures on the number of pupils in independent schools in England are collected annually in the statutory school-level annual school census (SLASC). Figures from January 2017 by single year of age can be found in national table 1c of the statistical release ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics’ available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations. Therefore, figures on the number of pupils in independent schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales should be requested directly from the individual administrations.

Department for Education: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress her Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In line with PPN 16/15, the Education and Skills Funding Agency provides a 6 monthly project pipeline forecast and an estimate of the value of steel that is likely to be used for the school projects to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Her Majesty’s Treasury’s Central Support Team. It is understood that this information forms an input into information shared with the UK steel lobby.

Adult Education

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of adults who are (a) Black, Asian and minority ethnic, (b) with a special educational need or disability or (c) from disadvantaged backgrounds do not participate in any adult education or training.

Anne Milton: Estimates for the proportion of different groups who do not participate in adult education and training are not available.However, the department does produce equality and diversity information on current participants in further education (FE) and skills provision, published as part of its further education official statistics here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-further-education-and-skills.The Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) also publish numbers of students in higher education by student characteristics here: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/analysis/eddata/.

Adult Education: Greater London

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the adult education budget is calculated in London.

Anne Milton: The adult education budget (AEB) is not allocated to specific areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) allocates AEB to individual providers, who under the current freedoms and flexibility policy are able to use their funds to support any English learners. The ESFA publish allocations and these can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2016-to-2017. In 2016/17 the ESFA allocated £316 million to providers with a head office location in London. Please note this data relates to head office location and is therefore not a measure of spend on residents of London.

Education: Assessments

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the attainment gap between disadvantaged and other students in (a) A-levels, (b) vocational qualifications and (c) all Level 3 qualifications by age 19 in each region of England.

Anne Milton: From 2017, the 16 to 18 performance tables and associated statistical release (A level and other revised 16-18 results) will include disadvantage measures to illustrate differences between how well disadvantaged students in a school or college do compared to non-disadvantaged state-funded students nationally. These measures will report on the 16 to 18 outcomes of students eligible for pupil premium funding in year 11, against each of the five headline measures: progress, attainment, English and mathematics progress, retention, and destinations. Information on the attainment gap between disadvantaged and other students in (a) A levels, (b) vocational qualifications and (c) all Level 3 qualifications by age 19 can be found as part of the ‘Education statistics by LA district and pupil disadvantage’1,2 publication.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-statistics-by-la-district-and-pupil-disadvantage. Select ‘16 to 19’ education data tables, tables FE1 and FE2. The A level attainment by pupil characteristics publication provides attainment data for pupils eligible for free school meals (which is a component of the disadvantage index).Disadvantaged pupils are identified based on status recorded at the end of Key Stage 4, using the pupil premium definition in operation at time. For most of the 19 in 2015/16 cohort this was in 2012/13. At this time, disadvantaged pupils were defined as pupils known to be eligible for FSM in the previous six years as indicated in any termly or annual school census, pupil referral unit (PRU) or alternative provision (AP) census or were looked after children for more than 6 months. Where there was no record of disadvantage status at key stage 4, as a proxy those who had been eligible for free school meals at any point between academic ages 10 and 15 have been included in the “disadvantaged” group.

Education: Assessments

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of 16 to 19-year olds participate in (a) A-levels and (b) a technical or vocational pathway in each region of England.

Anne Milton: The proportion of students at the end of their 16-18 study, entering A levels, tech levels and applied general qualifications is published as part of the A level and other 16-18 results Statistical First Release (SFR)1.   The published figures are based on only those students at the end of their 16-18 study, not on all 16-19 year-olds. The proportion of the whole population of 16-19 year olds can be estimated using the numerators used in the above table from the SFR1 and taking the denominator from either the ONS population estimates for the relevant age group2 or the number of students at the end of key stage 4 in 2013/14 as the total potential 16-18 cohort for the academic year 2015/163.1. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2015-to-2016-revised (Local authority tables: SFR05/2017 – table 9a).2. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland. Select the mid 2016 dataset and sum the figures for all 16-19 year olds.3. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4. Table 1a in the ‘national tables’ provides the number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 for that year.

University Technical Colleges

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the gender split is in University Technical Colleges in (a) Sheffield and (b) England and Wales among students.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics’ Statistical First Release contains data on the gender split in schools in the 2016/2017 academic year and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017.This data only covers schools in England, as education is a devolved matter. There are no University Technical Colleges (UTCs) in Wales. The data for University Technical Colleges show the following:a) Sheffield BoysGirlsUTC Sheffield (opened 2013)36580UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park (opened 2016)6565Total430145 b) England Number of UTCs48Boys8,158Girls2,874

Education: Finance

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to make further announcements on funding awards for character education under the character grants programme.

Nick Gibb: We want all schools to offer a broad and balanced education consisting of a rigorous academic curriculum supported with activities to develop attributes such as resilience, self-efficacy, character and leadership.That is why the Department invested £3.5m in the Character Grant scheme, which provided developmental activities to young people. On Monday 9 October the Department announced that the Character Grant programme has closed and replaced with £22 million to fund the development of essential life skills in children and young people in the twelve Opportunity Areas. By directing funding specifically towards disadvantaged children in some of the most deprived parts of the country, we are able to help children who face the greatest difficulties building these life skills.The web link to the announcement is on Gov.uk, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plans-launched-to-drive-social-mobility-in-opportunity-areas

Arts: Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to ensure that the subject focus in the EBacc does not discourage schools from promoting the uptake of creative subjects.

Nick Gibb: The Government remains fully committed to ensuring pupils receive a well rounded education, with high quality music, art and design, drama and dance all playing an important part.The new National Curriculum, introduced in 2014, sets out the essential knowledge in the key subjects that schools should teach. In Key Stages 1 to 3, music, art, and design are statutory subjects for maintained schools. At Key Stage 4, all pupils in maintained schools must be offered the opportunity to study at least one subject in the arts ‘entitlement’ area, which includes art and design, music, dance, drama, and media arts.In November 2016, the Department announced a package of funding for music and cultural education which is designed to improve access to the arts for all children and to develop talent across the country. This includes £300 million for music education hubs for 2016-20.

Family Proceedings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many family residential centres there are for each court area.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the department does not hold this information. This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (Ofsted), Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Schools: Finance

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that changes in the level of funding for schools do not result in the reduction of pastoral or other child support services.

Nick Gibb: The introduction of the national funding formulae is supported by significant extra funding of £1.3bn across 2018-19 and 2019-20, over and above the budget announced at the 2015 spending review. As a result, per pupil funding will be maintained in real terms for the next two years. Under the national funding formula for schools, every school will attract at least 0.5% more per pupil in 2018-19, and 1% more in 2019-20, compared to its baseline. Under the national funding formula for high needs, every local authority will see a similar minimum increase in funding of 0.5% in 2018-19, and 1% in 2019-20. We believe that in a school led system it is right for school leaders to decide how best to allocate their resources, including on pastoral and other child support services. We are committed to helping schools improve outcomes for pupils and promote social mobility by ensuring schools achieve the best value from all their resources. We already provide schools with support, guidance and tools to help them maximise their efficiency and long-term financial health and we will now go further to ensure that support is effectively used by schools.

Schools: Finance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the decision not to release any new funding for schools.

Nick Gibb: We have made a significant investment in our schools by providing an additional £1.3bn across 2018-19 and 2019-20, on top of previous spending plans. This means funding per pupil for schools and high needs will be maintained in real terms for the next two years, as the independent IFS have confirmed. The additional investment in core schools funding will be funded in full from savings and efficiencies identified from within the Department’s existing budget. This has required some difficult decisions, but we believe it is right to prioritise core schools funding to maximise the proportion of the budget that is allocated directly to frontline head teachers. Core funding for schools and high needs will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19 and £43.5 billion in 2019-20. This represents a 6% increase.

Schools: Finance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received from the Association of School and College Leaders on the new national funding formula.

Nick Gibb: The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) responded to both stages of the consultation of the national funding formula, together with over 25,000 other individuals and representative organisations. We are grateful to all who took the time to respond to the consultation. ASCL is also a member of the Department’s School and Academy Funding Group. This group meets monthly and includes a range of stakeholders that the Department consults on funding policy. ASCL is also consulted as part of the Department’s wider stakeholder engagement activities.

Students: Disability

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time disabled students were registered on higher education courses in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students enrolled at UK Higher Education Institutions. Statistics on numbers of students with disabilities are published as part of the Statistical First Release on higher education student enrolments and qualifications obtained at higher education providers, which can be found at the following link:https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/12-01-2017/sfr242-student-enrolments-and-qualifications.Statistics for the 2016/17 academic year will be available from HESA in January 2018.

Students: Loans

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on raising the threshold for repayment of student loans for graduates who started their course before 2012.

Joseph Johnson: The repayment threshold for pre-2012 undergraduate loans has been increased annually in line with RPI since April 2012, and this will continue. The repayment threshold is currently £17,775, and will rise to £18,330 from 6 April 2018.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2017 to Question 3811, how much of her Department's budget allocated to 16 to 19-year old education was reallocated to other budgets in the financial year 2016-17.

Anne Milton: Budgets for 16 to 19-year-old education are set on the basis of the established funding formula which uses student number estimates. As in 2014-15 and 2015-16, student numbers and associated costs were lower than these estimates in 2016-17 which resulted in a lower spend of £106m. This represents 1.8% of the budget that was available for reallocation. Because this was a result of lower student numbers, it did not affect funding per student.

Students: Loans

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department hold on how much and what proportion of outstanding student loan debt owed by students attributable to tuition fee payments.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics covering English student loans are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/full-catalogue-of-official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx. Information on English higher education loans outstanding can be found in Table 1a of the SFR. A breakdown showing the proportion attributable to tuition fee loans is not available in the requested format.

Children: Disadvantaged

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children under 18-years old were classified as a child in need in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2014-15 because a parent had no recourse to public funds.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the information requested is not available as the Department for Education does not hold data on whether parents of children in need have access to public funds.

Pre-school Education: Food

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the voluntary guidelines for food in early-years settings highlighted in the Childhood Obesity Plan will be published.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Example menus and guidance have been developed as part of the delivery of the Childhood Obesity Plan to support early year’s settings in England. This is to provide meals and snacks in line with current government dietary recommendations for infants and children aged six months to four years. The government will publish the menus and guidance in due course. Separate Voluntary Food and Drink Guidelines are already available for early years settings to help them meet the nutritional needs of children aged one to five.

Schools: Food

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the refreshed school food standards highlighted in the Childhood Obesity Plan will be published; and whether those standards will reflect new requirements on dietary fibre.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The childhood obesity plan, published in August 2016, mentions that we will update the School Food Standards in light of refreshed government dietary recommendations. We are currently reflecting on the best course of action and further announcements will be made in due course.

Children: Day Care

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the take-up rate is of the 15 hours childcare offer for disadvantaged two-year olds in (a) the Liverpool city region and (b) England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The data requested for Liverpool local authority and England is published in Table 5LA of the ‘Provision for children under 5 years of age’ Statistical First Release:Education provision: children under 5 years of age, January 2017 - GOV.UK.

Children: Day Care

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the trend in the child-to-staff ratio in childcare and early-years settings in England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. The welfare and safeguarding section in the EYFS sets the required maximum staff to child ratios. Ratio and qualification requirements apply to the total number of staff available to work directly with children. For children aged three and over, staff with a level 6 qualification supported by someone with a level 3 can operate with a 1:13 ratio, whereas staff with a level 3 supported by someone with a level 2 qualification can operate with a 1:8 ratio. There are no plans to change the requirements. We do not measure staff to child ratios, therefore it is not possible to assess trends.

School Meals

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average cost is of preparing and serving a meal in state-funded schools.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the school governing boards are responsible for their school meals service at a local level and the department does not collect this information.

Children: Day Care

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve staff qualifications in childcare and early-education settings in England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Early Years Workforce Strategy published in March this year, sets out the actions we will take to attract, retain and develop the early years workforce.The strategy includes a commitment to working with the early years sector and awarding organisations to develop new criteria for level 2 childcare qualifications.The Department will also work with organisations specialising in SEND (special educational needs and disability) to develop a specification for early years staff who want to focus on SEND.The strategy also includes a commitment to review the early years initial teacher training routes to make sure we are maximising the impact of the programme.

Students: Loans

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what systems her Department has in place to prevent student loans from being claimed fraudulently.

Joseph Johnson: Information setting out how the Department works with partners including the Student Loans Company, to minimise fraud, including fraud in the student finance system, is published on pages 48-49 of the Department’s Consolidated annual report and accounts for year ended 31 March 2017 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfe-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017.

Students: Loans

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of student loans which are claimed fraudulently.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has not made a recent estimate of the proportion of student loans which are claimed fraudulently. However, the Student Loans Company (SLC) has made an estimate of the fraud rate in relation to student support payments (i.e payments of student loans and grants) for the financial year 2016-2017.The SLC’s estimated fraud rate in relation to student support payments for the financial year 2016-2017 is 0.57%.

Department for Education: Brexit

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in her Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education has four members of staff working full time in a central team co-ordinating and contributing to cross-department and cross-government work on EU exit. These staff are supported by a range of civil servants across the department who lead on specific policy areas and whose work includes, but is not limited to EU exit work.

Children: Day Care

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been made available for graduate training in the childcare and early-education workforce in England in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Early years initial teacher training (EYITT) was introduced in September 2013 and built on its predecessor, Early Years Professional Status. To date, over 16,000 specialist graduates have been trained. There are currently four EYITT routes available, including a route for graduates already employed in an early years setting. Funding is available for training course fees, with additional funding (£7,000) to enable early years employers to release an employee to participate in training. To encourage the best graduates into the early years workforce we also provide bursaries of between £2,000 and £5,000 to eligible trainees. The EYITT training routes are demand-led and we have always met the needs of EYITT providers in terms of numbers of places requested.

ERASMUS

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether reciprocal funding for Erasmus students will continue after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is considering future participation in Erasmus as part of the European Union (EU) Exit negotiations. We see future co-operation in education programmes (as with research) as an area of mutual benefit to both the UK and the EU, provided we can agree a fair ongoing contribution.There is, of course, a range of wider international mobility activity supported by organisations such as the British Council, UK and others. The Government has made clear many times that it values the Erasmus+ programme and international exchanges more generally and has stated publicly that the UK is committed to continuing full participation in the Erasmus+ Programme up until we leave the EU.We will underwrite successful bids for Erasmus+, which are submitted while the UK is still a Member State, even if they are not approved until after we leave, and/or payments continue beyond the point of Exit.

Pupil Exclusions

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 13 of the IPPR report, Making The Difference: Breaking the link between school exclusion and social exclusion, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings that the number of pupils educated in schools for excluded pupils is five times higher than the number of officially permanently excluded pupils.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We will look closely at the findings of the IPPR report which was published on 10 October 2017. The Department’s exclusion guidance is clear that any decision to exclude a pupil should be lawful, reasonable and fair. While exclusion can be used as a sanction for schools to deal with poor behaviour, permanent exclusion should only be used as a last resort, in response to a serious breach, or persistent breaches, of the school’s behaviour policy. As announced by the Prime Minister on 10 October 2017, the Department plans to take forward an external review of exclusions practice, focused on the experience of those groups who are disproportionately likely to be excluded.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to announce levels of government support for state-maintained nurseries for the years after 2019.

Mr Robert Goodwill: This government recognises that maintained nursery schools experience costs that other providers do not. That is why we are providing local councils with supplementary funding of around £60 million a year until the end 2019-20 at least, to enable them to maintain 2016-17 levels of nursery school funding. We are working closely with the sector and others on our plans for what happens beyond this, and we will set out next steps in due course.

English Language: Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many learners were enrolled on ESOL courses between the ages of (a) 19 to 25, (b) 26 to 30, (c) 31 to 45, (d) 45 to 54 and (e) over 55 in the years (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2014-15, (iv) 2015-16 and (v) 2016-17.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The table below provides participation on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses by age band in the 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 academic years. All figures use full, final year data except for 2016/17 figures which are provisional. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year are not available. YearAge Band19 to 2526 to 3031 to 4546 to 54Over 55Total2012/1326,04028,95066,28017,3207,660146,2002014/1521,35024,33060,14016,6708,580131,1002015/1618,46020,86051,62012,9306,720110,6002016/17 (P)18,69021,05054,57013,6606,460114,400 (P) notes that the data are provisionalAll totals are rounded to the nearest hundred

Universities: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will set out further details about the review of university funding announced by the Prime Minister at the Conservative Party Conference.

Joseph Johnson: Sustainable university funding and student finance are a priority in delivering this government’s objectives on higher education. The government will set out further steps on higher education student financing in due course.

Institute for Apprenticeships

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the apprentice panel has met the board of the Institute for Apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: The Institute for Apprenticeships is an independent body with responsibility for the development and approval of apprenticeship standards. I have therefore asked the Institute to write to the hon. Member for Blackpool South directly. A copy of that response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses when it is available.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current levels of per pupil funding for students aged 16 to 19.

Anne Milton: We have protected the base rate of funding at £4,000 per student for all types of providers until 2020 to ensure that happens. Extra funding is provided where needed, for example, for students on large academic programmes and for providers to attract, support and retain disadvantaged 16 to 19-year olds. In addition, my Rt hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced in the Spring Budget a significant investment in technical education for 16-19 year olds, rising to an additional £500 million a year.The first £74 million of this investment will be allocated to help institutions build their capacity for the improved work placements that will form part of new T level programmes, from April 2018 to July 2019. Funding and resourcing beyond 2020 will be considered and agreed as part of the Government’s next spending review. The post-16 system is performing well and a record proportion of 16 to 18-year olds are now participating in education or apprenticeships. The results in the first of the reformed A levels were released in August this year, with students continuing to achieve effectively against the high standards of the qualification and demonstrating their readiness for the demands of higher education. Overall, A level results this year were stable compared to last year. A record number of 18-year olds applied to Higher Education this year and the entry rate for English 18-year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds is at a record high.

Adult Education: European Social Fund

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) how much and (b) what proportion of the adult education budget is funded by the European Social Fund in each English region.

Anne Milton: The European Social Fund (ESF) does not form part of the Adult Education Budget.

Teachers: Vacancies

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has provided any funding for the website teachlist.net.

Nick Gibb: According to our records, we have not identified any direct funding for the website teachlist.net.

Schools: Football

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of pupils experiencing concussion injuries by age as a result of playing football at (a) primary and (b) secondary school in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the Department for Education does not collect or hold data on the number of pupils experiencing concussion as a result of playing football at school.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of 30 hours free childcare on the provision of (a) universal offer places and (b) funded two-year old places.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The independent evaluations of 30 hours’ early implementation and early rollout found no evidence of any adverse effects on the universal and two year-old free entitlements. The early rollout evaluation report showed that 30% of providers delivering 30 hours’ places increased their overall free entitlement places, and only 1% decreased places.The early implementer evaluation was published on 17 July 2017 and the early rollout evaluation was published on 31 August. The reports can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-early-implementation-evaluation.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/641148/Frontier_-_Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30_hours_free_childcare.pdf

Pre-school Education: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the adequacy of the early years funding formula in the next 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We introduced our new funding formula in April 2017, and implemented 30 hours of free childcare across the country in September following successful early implementation. We have been clear that getting the funding right is critical to successful delivery of this new entitlement and are monitoring carefully its implementation. We have also committed to keep under review the data underpinning the early years national funding formula. We will continue to use census data collections and market surveys to monitor and evaluate the childcare market, conduct longitudinal research through the Study of Early Education and Development (SEED), and undertake our long-standing, nationally representative surveys of providers and parents. We will use these to assess the impact of the free entitlement from both providers’ and parents’ perspectives.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of parents with a code for 30 hours free childcare that has not yet been validated.

Mr Robert Goodwill: On 12 October 2017, the Department for Education published data that set out the number of eligibility codes issued for 30 hours free childcare by 31 August 2017 and the number of codes validated by 9 October 2017. This release of data can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/651185/30-hours_childcare_management_information_October_2017_update.pdf.

Education: Exports

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made to meet the target to increase UK education exports to £30 billion by 2020.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Young Offenders: Criminal Records

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in (a) Wales and (b) the UK have a criminal record for offences committed when they were aged under 18.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice holds information on individuals who have received a caution or conviction for recordable offences since 2000 on the Police National Computer. But it does not hold centrally the information necessary to indicate the number of people in Wales who have a criminal record for offences committed under the age of 18. To collate it would incur disproportionate cost.Statistics for the whole of the United Kingdom are not available. Justice is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland and those statistics are matters for the devolved administrations.

Criminal Injuries Compensation: Offences Against Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many child victims of sexual abuse have been denied compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) since 1996 on the grounds that (a) they had unspent convictions, (b) they had not falsely given consent as a result of being groomed and (c) made an application to CICA more than two years after (i) the date of the assault and (ii) the time they reported it to the police and (iii) if they were under 18 at the time of the incident, failed to make the complaint by their 20th birthday.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Finance

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department's budget is sufficient to provide additional funding to community rehabilitation companies.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have made changes to how CRCs are paid for future years so they can focus on activities that best rehabilitate offenders and keep society safe. This additional investment will see projected payments to providers being no higher than originally budgeted for at the time of the reforms.

Ministry of Justice: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8042, on Ministry of Justice: cybercrime, whether his Department requires contractors to have obtained a certificate from the Government Cyber Essentials scheme; and how many and what proportion of contractors doing work for his Department have obtained such a certificate.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice follows the approach outlined in Procurement Policy Note 09/14, which - where appropriate - requires its suppliers and contractors to demonstrate adherence to the Cyber Essentials requirements. In many situations, suppliers are contractually obliged to exceed this standard, such as when involved in the delivery of the department's IT services. As assurance is carried out on a case by case basis, by individual departments and programmes, compilation of an exhaustive list of current contractor numbers would mean an answer to this question would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold (DCT).

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessor has had with community rehabilitation companies in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017 to date.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) are closely monitored through a robust contract management and assurance process which I, and the Secretary of State for Justice, are regularly sighted on.The Secretary of State for Justice met with CRC staff as part of his visit to Camden and Islington probation services in London in July 2017. We continue to work with CRCs to ensure they deliver services which reduce re-offending, protect the public and help offenders contribute to society.The previous Secretary of State, Elizabeth Truss, met with CRC staff as part of her visit to Lambeth probation services in February 2017.

Courts

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to extend provision of problem-solving courts.

Dominic Raab: We are considering the problem-solving approaches that have already been developed at a grass roots level in a small number of local communities across the UK, and exploring opportunities.Access to drug and alcohol treatment that is timely and effective is crucial to problem-solving approaches. My department is working with the Department of Health to test a new protocol for community sentence treatment requirements with the aim of increasing their use.

Prisons: Buildings

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that it achieves value for money when it sells former prison sites.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what valuations his Department has received of prisons selected for closure.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We always seek to achieve value for money for the taxpayer. We have therefore engaged professional advisors to inform us on the future development and potential of ageing and ineffective prisons. This forms part of our consideration of the future of the estate. However, no decisions have been made about prison sites other than those already announced.Valuation information of any kind in relation to the Ministry of Justice estate is deemed commercially sensitive and therefore would not be released.

Criminal Proceedings: Minority Groups

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to implement the recommendations of the Lammy Review, an independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government is considering carefully all the recommendations made by David Lammy in his review and will respond in full, in due course. As part of my Department’s work stemming from the Race Disparity Audit published on 10 October we have confirmed that, in advance of our full response, we are able to accept four recommendations from the Review. These relate to the principle of “explain or change”, publishing more and better data on ethnicity, recruiting a more representative prison service workforce and developing indicators within prisons’ performance framework that allow us to assess the equality of outcomes for prisoners of all ethnicities.

Prisoners: Qualifications

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners gained level 1 qualifications in construction-related skills in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of offender learners in English prisons aged 18 and over that achieved a level 1 qualification in construction-related skills from academic year 2011/12 to 2015/16 is shown in the table below. These offenders were funded via the Offenders Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) budget. Adult (18+) Offender Learning Achievements in Level 1 construction-related skillsAcademic YearLearner Achievements2011/125,7002012/136,0702013/145,7002014/155,6402015/165,440Notes:1) Volume rounded to the nearest 10.2) Qualification under sector subject area 'Construction, Planning and the Built Environment'.3) Standard OLASS age groups used to match Further education and skills Statistical First Release Table 10.2.

Court Orders: Sussex

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many non molestation orders and prohibited steps orders were issued by the Sussex family courts of (a) Brighton, (b) Chichester, (c) Eastbourne, (d) Hastings, (e) Horsham and (f) Worthing for the first and second quarters of 2017.

Dominic Raab: The table below sets out the numbers of non-molestation orders and prohibited steps orders issued by Brighton, Chichester, Eastbourne, Hastings, Horsham and Worthing family courts in the first and second quarters of 2017: Number of non-molestation and prohibited steps orders issued in Sussex Family Courts in 2017Non-MolestationProhibited StepsCourtQ1Q2Q1Q2Brighton56732934Chichester7221-51-5Eastbourne2721710Hastings77903165Horsham273699Worthing18161-57

Courts: Sign Language

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what provision there is for sign language interpreters to be available for people registered as deaf who are involved in court trials.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a range of high quality language services that meet the needs of all those that require them. Provisions for non-spoken languages, including sign language interpreters, are met through the Ministry’s language services contract with Clarion Interpreting Ltd.

Juries: Sign Language

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward proposals to amend the Juries Act 1974 to allow for a sign language interpreter not to be considered as an extra juror.

Dominic Raab: There are no current plans to amend the Juries Act 1974.

Ministry of Justice: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Approximately 2,500 tonnes of structural steel has been used in the construction of HMP Berwyn. 100% of this steel has been sourced from British suppliers and manufacturers. Our procurement activities will follow Government guidance to ensure we take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers.

Rape: Trials

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that section 41 of the Youth Justice Crime and Evidence Act 1999 which protects victims of alleged rape or sexual assault from being questioned about their sexual history during trial is properly upheld.

Dominic Raab: A judge will assess the merits of an application under section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 and may only allow it where a strict set of criteria are met. MoJ keep all areas of criminal justice procedure under ongoing review.

Care Proceedings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children per court area have been removed from their parents via a care order having (a) had and (b) not had a residential assessment.

Dominic Raab: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of how many serving prisoners are transgender.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prisoner-transgender-statistics-march-to-april-2016. Updated figures will be published next month.

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many female to male transgender offenders in the prison system are serving their sentences in male prisons.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many male to female transgender offenders in the prison system are serving their sentences in female prisons.

Dr Phillip Lee: This information requested is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Family Courts

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to carry out a review of the family courts system; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: I am clear that we need to look across the entire family justice system to make sure it is delivering the best outcomes for children and families, and protecting its most vulnerable users. We are working to consider what further changes are needed and will bring forward our proposals in due course.

Family Courts

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the transparency of the family courts system; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government welcomes steps taken by the family courts to increase transparency, but also recognises the need to safeguard the privacy of vulnerable children and their families.Accredited media are allowed access to family courts and guidelines introduced in 2014 have resulted in more judgments than ever being published. Cases not involving children, such as divorce, must also usually be listed by name in open court.

Prisons: Drugs

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have taken part in programmes on drug recovery wings in prisons in each year since they were introduced.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders who took part in programmes on drug recovery wings in prisons have reoffended in each year since those wings were introduced.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the capacity is of drug recovery wings in each prison in which they operate.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to extend the use of drug recovery wings to prisons that do not have them.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of drug recovery wings on reducing drug addiction in prisons.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders who took part in programmes on drug recovery wings in prisons have reoffended for drug-related offences in each year since those wings were introduced.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding his Department provides to assist offenders who have taken part in programmes on drug recovery wings in prisons after their release.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have taken part in programmes on drug recovery wings, by offence.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what non-financial support is provided to offenders taking part in programmes on drug recovery wings in prisons upon release.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders who took part in programmes on drug recovery wings in prisons have reoffended for burglary in each year since those wings were introduced.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders who took part in programmes on drug recovery wings in prisons were serving sentences of (a) less than six months, (b) six to 12 months, (c) 12 months to two years and (d) more than two years.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders taking part in programmes on drug recovery wings in prisons spent one night or more in temporary accommodation immediately after release.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Drug Recovery Wings (DRWs) pilots were launched in 2011/2012 in eight men’s and two women’s prisons in England and Wales running until 2015. The DRWs focussed primarily on drug and alcohol misusing offenders sentenced to between 3-12 months in custody, but the scope was extended in 2012 to include those on remand and those serving longer sentences who were in their last year of sentence.An independent Evaluation of the Drug Recovery Wing Pilots was published on 5th October 2017 and provides information on the capacity of the wings within each prison. The Evaluation found that comparing the six months prior to incarceration and the six months following release, there was a reduction in self-reported substance use and crime. However, in the absence of a comparison group, this reduction cannot be attributed to the DRWs.In the impact evaluation, 319 prisoners were interviewed at the beginning of their DRW engagement, 203 prior to their departure from the wing and 109 once they had been living back in the community for six months. The most common experience described by interviewees was being released into a hostel, or funded B&B. Of those interviewed post-release, it was self-reported that 12% reporting shoplifting, 9% theft other than from a vehicle and 9% handling stolen goods in the six months following release. [It’s important to note that there might selection bias meaning these reoffending rates might be an underestimate.]Governors and local health commissioners decide if they wish to commission drug recovery wings when considering how best to meet the needs of their population. HMP Brixton and HMP Styal continue to run DRWs since the pilot ended and a number of establishments in partnership with Drug Treatment Providers established their own local recovery wings or therapeutic community models outside of the original pilot areas. Building on the DRWs, we are currently piloting new approaches to tackle the demand for and supply of drugs amongst prisoners, which includes developing a range of evidence based substance misuse treatment and provisions to support recovery in prison and through the gate.Although no specific funding was provided to assist offenders who have participated in programmes on drug recovery wings, a new resettlement service was introduced in 2015 through which prisoners are given continuous support when they leave prison into the community. Almost all prisoners, including those on remand, now receive through-the-gate help and supervision to meet identified needs, including with substance misuse problems. These services are delivered by Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs), which work with prisons and locally commissioned substance misuse services to provide access for offenders.

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications made by transgender prisoners for transfer to a prison of their chosen gender have been approved since the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 relating to gender reassignment came into force.

Dr Phillip Lee: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government's review of community rehabilitation companies in England and Wales has been completed; and what the main conclusions are of that review.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We carried out a comprehensive review of the probation system to examine all aspects of probation delivery since the implementation of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. As a result of this review, and as set out in my written statement of 19 July 2017, we amended CRC contracts to reflect more accurately the fixed costs of delivering services to offenders and enable providers to focus on delivery of critical operational services. We continue to keep the operation of the probation system under review and are exploring further improvements that could be made to the delivery of services.

Probation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on performance of the probation reforms introduced in 2013.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Since the implementation of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, the National Probation Service (NPS) and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) have been monitored against performance frameworks to make sure their services are protecting the public, reducing reoffending and delivering the orders of the court.We closely monitor and robustly manage CRCs to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments. Data on both NPS and CRC performance against service levels is published quarterly, with the latest data published in July: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-performance-quarterly-and-annual-2016-to-2017.We acknowledge there have been issues with how probation services are performing and we have taken action, as I set out in my statement in July. We will continue to work with both CRCs and NPS to improve delivery and ensure we provide a service that protects the public and helps rehabilitate offenders.

Probation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to expand the role of mutuals in the management of probation services in England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The successful delivery of probation services relies on the work of public and private sector providers, as well as a range of other organisations including voluntary sector bodies and mutuals.The department has contracts with 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs). Nineteen of the 21 CRCs are being run with assistance from staff mutuals or voluntary sector organisations.We do not currently have plans to expand the role of mutuals in the delivery of probation services. Probation providers will continue to work with a range of partners to ensure they protect the public and rehabilitate offenders.

Reoffenders

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether changes have been made to the list of offences capable of triggering a Serious Further Offence review in respect of an offender under probation at any time during the last 10 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The categories of crime which trigger a SFO review were changed in 2008. The offence of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was removed from the list of qualifying offences which trigger a mandatory SFO review. There have been no further change to the list of qualifying offences.

Prisons: Food

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost is of preparing and serving a meal in prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) does not hold information on the average cost of preparing meals in prisons. This could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health provisions in prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We take mental health provision in our prisons very seriously and are committed to working closely with health partners to ensure that offenders are assessed at the appropriate time and can access the treatment and support required for their mental health needs. NHS England is responsible for commissioning health services in English prisons and assuring the quality and provision of services provided, we support them in this. Health Needs Assessments are carried out in each prison to ensure that services are commissioned to meet the needs of each prison population. Health is devolved to the Welsh Government and Local Health Boards commission services for the population in their locality and for public sector prisons in Wales, which includes mental health assessments and treatment. There are separate arrangements for the private prison HMP Parc. In Wales, we work in partnership with the Welsh Government and health services to support people placed in our care.

Human Trafficking: Criminal Injuries Compensation

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of human trafficking did not receive compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on the basis that the injured person's conduct contributed towards the incident in each year since 2015.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested is not held centrally.

Dangerous Driving: Young People

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of drivers under the age of 18 that cause death or serious injury through dangerous driving being convicted as adults instead of minors.

Dr Phillip Lee: An offender cannot be treated as an adult if they are under the age of 18 on the date of conviction. These offenders will receive a disposal under the youth sentencing framework. Where an offender turns 18 between the commission of the offence and the date of conviction they will then receive an adult sentence, although when setting the length and requirements of the sentence the court should take as its starting point the sentence likely to have been imposed on the date at which the offence was committed.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Buildings

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish the Memorandum of Terms of Occupation for each building that his Department occupies.

David Mundell: All Memorandum of Terms of Occupation arrangements for buildings occupied by the Scotland Office will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Scotland Office: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 1974, on social media, how much of that spend was (a) through Carat Ltd and (b) on the departmental procurement card.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not currently contract Carat Ltd for media services. The spend of £16,880.82 which covers a period of 18 months was paid for directly by the department. Department procurement cards were used to make these payments to both Facebook and Twitter. Spend for use of department procurement cards over the value of £500 is published on gov.uk at:https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Scotland+Office+Government+Procurement+Card

Scotland Office: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8783, on Scotland Office: buildings, (a) for what buildings and (b) to who those fees have been paid.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office currently pays rent for Dover House in Whitehall to the Crown Estate and for adjoining properties in Edinburgh, 1 Melville Crescent and 45 Melville Street to Ruthven Properties Ltd.

Scotland Office: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2017 to Question 5447, on Scotland Office: social media, if he will make the advertisements available in an alternative format accessible to people who lack access to online facilities and social media.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is committed to communicating its important messages to as wide an audience as possible.

Scotland Office: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not have a requirement to purchase steel.

UK Membership of EU: Scotland

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the position paper, Confidentiality and Access to Documents, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions the Government has had with the Scottish Government on the handling by the EU of information produced while the UK was an EU member state after the UK leaves the EU.

David Mundell: The Scottish Government and the UK Government are working together to ensure we get the best deal for Scotland and the whole of the UK as we exit the EU. This position paper was published ahead of the last negotiating round and we have carried out positive and productive engagement with the Scottish Government.

Scotland Office: South America

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the costs were to the public purse of his recent visits to (a) Paraguay and (b) Argentina, by heading.

David Mundell: The following costs have been incurred for the visit to Paraguay and Argentina:Air travel£18,014Subsistence and Hotels£136Miscellaneous travel costs£74Events and Gifts£197

Scotland Office: South East Asia

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the costs to the public purse of his visits to Singapore and Myanmar were, by heading.

David Mundell: The following costs have been incurred for the visit to Singapore and Myanmar:Air travel£13,371Subsistence and Hotels£728Events and Gifts£51

Ministry of Defence

Frigates and Patrol Craft: Per Capita Costs

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost per ship is of a (a) Type 26 frigate, (b) Type 31e frigate and (c) batch 2 River Class offshore patrol vessel.

Harriett Baldwin: For the cost per ship of the Type 26 Frigate, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 July 2017 to Question 5703 to the member for Bridgend (Madeleine Moon).The Type 31e Frigate programme is currently in its pre-procurement phase. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has issued a Request for Information to industry, inviting high level proposals against the outline requirements, cost and schedule, namely, an initial order of five ships at a maximum average price of £250 million. In common with all procurement projects, the programme cost will be determined at the main investment decision point.The MOD has signed contracts worth a total of £635 million to build five Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels. In addition to the cost of the ships, these contracts cover the cost of initial spares and support as well as being an investment in sustaining shipbuilding skills and setting the entry conditions for a successful Type 26 build programme.

Gulf War Syndrome

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on Gulf War Syndrome.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No recent discussions have taken place with the Secretary of State for Health regarding Gulf War Syndrome.We have already undertaken a substantial amount of research which has indicated there is no illness which is specific to 1990/91 Gulf Veterans.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to keep a watching brief on Gulf Veterans illness but in line with the Medical Research Council review of 2003 has no plans to institute further research either on causation or clinical management.However we have long accepted that some veterans from the 1990/91 Gulf conflict are ill and that some of this ill health is related to their Gulf service. Financial support is available to such veterans through the War Pensions Scheme administered by the MOD's Veterans UK organisation. In addition the Veterans Welfare Service provide a caseworker approach that offers advice and guidance.

Yemen: Military Intervention

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8059, on Yemen: military intervention, how many allegations of humanitarian law violations where civilians have reportedly been deliberately targeted by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen his Department is investigating.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) monitors all alleged International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations arising from airstrikes reportedly conducted by the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen since March 2015. The UK is not party to the conflict and the MOD does not conduct investigations in to alleged IHL violations in Yemen. The UK continues to use diplomatic and military channels to engage with Saudi Arabia on IHL compliance. The Saudi-led coalition is best placed to investigate any alleged IHL violations through the Saudi-led coalition's Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) which the UK helped to establish.

Aircraft Carriers: Gibraltar

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what infrastructure and dredging will be required at the facilities at South Mole in Gibraltar to enable the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers to load (a) life support cargo, (b) fuel supplies and (c) munitions directly from the dock side.

Harriett Baldwin: As part of forward planning for the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, the Royal Navy continues to review ports that would be accessible to these ships. This process includes the infrastructure requirements at South Mole in Gibraltar.

Type 31 Frigates

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the weapons specification for the Type 31e frigate.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence published a Request for Information on 15 September 2017 which included a summary of the whole-ship requirements, including the weapons specification.

Civil Servants: Reserve Forces

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8834, on civil servants: reserve forces, how many reservists have volunteered from each of those Departments.

Mark Lancaster: The numbers of civil servants in Departments or agencies identified centrally by the Ministry of Defence as being members of the Volunteer Reserves in each year since the Civil Service Reserves Challenge was launched are in the attached table.



Civil Servants who are Volunteer Reserves
(Word Document, 16.96 KB)

Civil Servants: Reserve Forces

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8834, on civil servants: reserve forces, how many reservists have volunteered in each year since 2013.

Mark Lancaster: This information is not held in the format requested. The number of civil servants identified centrally by the Ministry of Defence as being members of the Volunteer Reserves in each year since the Civil Service Reserves Challenge was launched in October 2014 can be found in the attached table.



CS who are members of the Volunteer Reserves
(Word Document, 17.43 KB)

Cyprus: Military Bases

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of claims that song-birds are being illegally trapped on land forming part of the UK Sovereign Base Territory in Cyprus.

Mark Lancaster: Tackling illegal trapping of migratory birds is one of the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) Administration's top priorities, with the level of trapping constantly under review, together with plans to counter it.The trapping of birds is a widespread issue across the whole of Cyprus with substantial profits made by those who organise and control this activity. Whilst it is not confined to the SBA, the SBA Police uses all lawful means to target individuals involved in bird trapping. Last year, the SBA Administration prosecuted 78 people for bird trapping and poaching offences in the SBA, and the SBA Police conducted 39 major mist netting clearance operations, resulting in the seizure of over 1,000 mist-nets and over 450 limesticks. This enforcement has impacted on bird trapping activity and this kind of intervention will continue as part of the SBA Administration's continuing activities.More recently, the SBA court in Dhekelia issued fines to 14 bird trappers of between €820 and €2,500, many of whom were caught in the act by hidden surveillance cameras on the Cape Pyla Ranges. Six of the trappers received prison sentences of between three and six months, suspended for three years. In addition to this, a SBA Police drone has been acquired and has provided them with an enhanced ability to track and catch bird trappers.

Defence: West Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many jobs have been created as a result of Government investment in military research and development in west Wales in the last five years.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Government has invested in military research and development in west Wales in the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: Research and Development (R&D) is critical to the delivery of battle-winning capability for our Armed Forces. In 2015-16, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) spent £1.65 billion on R&D, much of it with UK industry, sustaining many UK jobs. Information on Government investment in military R&D in west Wales in the last five years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, you may be interested to note that between 2012-2016, the most recent period for which regional breakdowns are available, the UK Government spent approximately £2.6 billion on R&D in Wales. More broadly, Defence expenditure with UK industry supported approximately 5,250 Welsh jobs in 2015-16. Further related information is available online at the following links: MOD regional expenditure with UK industry and supported employment: 2015-16:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-201516 UK gross domestic expenditure on research and development Statistical bulletins:https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/bulletins/ukgrossdomesticexpenditureonresearchanddevelopment/previousReleases UK Government expenditure on science, engineering and technology Statistical bulletins: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/bulletins/ukgovernmentexpenditureonscienceengineeringandtechnology/previousReleases

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Accidents

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recorded accidents involving RAF pilotless drones have occured at Aberporth Airport.

Mark Lancaster: All Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) operated by the Armed Forces are controlled from the ground.There have been no recorded accidents involving RAF RPAS at West Wales Airport, Aberporth.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, at which locations the Armed Forces' pilot-less drones are flown for training purposes.

Mark Lancaster: All Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) operated by the Armed Forces are controlled from the ground. The Armed Forces undertake routine flying activity on RPAS at the following locations:UK:Boscombe Down, Wiltshire.Lulworth Cove Traning Area, Dorset.Okehampton Training Area, Dartmoor.Otterburn Training Area, Northumberland.RAF Spadeadam, Cumbria.Royal Naval Air Station, Culdrose.Salisbury Plain Training Area, Wiltshire.Sennybridge Training Area, Wales.Stanford Training Area, Norfolk.West Wales Airport & Aberporth Range.Overseas:British Army Training Unit, Kenya.British Army Training Unit Suffield, Canada.Camp Roberts, California, USA.Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, USA.Grafenwohr Training Area, Germany.Hohenfels Training Area, Germany.Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, USA.Sennelager Training Area, Germany.

Armed Forces: Gliding

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many places on Volunteer Gliding Squadron courses will be available in 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Volunteer Gliding Squadron courses are allocated on a rolling basis and vary according to requirements between longer Silver Wings Courses and shorter Blue/Bronze Wings courses. Consequently, the total number of course places available is not programmed in advance. However, it is envisaged to be greatly expanded in 2018, compared to 2017.In addition, we are expanding other aspects of the Cadet Aviation Offer, including to provide additional civilian gliding experience at up to 14 civil gliding sites, powered flying opportunities at RAF Flying Club Association clubs, enhanced synthetic training at the Regional Aerospace Ground Schools and more musters of cadets to fly as passengers in military helicopters and larger military aircraft.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to remove invasive Australian acacia trees from the Sovereign Base Areas of (a) Akrotiri and (b) Dhekelia in (i) the remaining months of 2017 and (ii) thereafter; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Since November 2014, 95 acres of acacia have been removed from Special Areas of Conservation in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA). In addition, the SBA Administration has been pursuing other means of acacia removal beyond physical tree cutting, including destroying 5.8km of irrigation piping used to promote growth of acacia on the Cape Pyla Ranges in the Dhekelia SBA.We plan to remove further acreage of invasive acacia from Special Areas of Conservation in the SBA of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. No decision has yet been made on the specific sites where acacia could be removed and treated with herbicide to prevent re-growth. This will be subject to risk assessment.Further consideration of options to remove acacia and associated irrigation will take place following this year's migration.

Government Departments: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is fully supportive of wider Government efforts to support the UK steel industry. Following the implementation of the Government's updated policy guidance on steel procurement, the MOD has remained engaged with its prime defence contractors to ensure their support in adhering to the practices and guidelines set out in the policy. This includes forecasting our future steel requirements through the Government's Steel Pipeline, which is published on gov.uk, and requiring our prime contractors to carry out early market engagement in relation to the supply of steel.The MOD continues to discuss defence steel procurement with our prime contractors and UK Steel. I recently attended a roundtable meeting with UK Steel, during which we discussed how to maximise opportunities for the UK Steel industry. Following this meeting I have personally ensured that we take steps to engage with the UK Steel industry in the pre-procurement phase of the Type 31e programme.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8580, on Ministry of Defence: Brexit, which stages of the contingency plans have so far been implemented.

Mark Lancaster: The Government will continue to adopt a responsible approach to understanding how the UK's decision to leave the European Union will affect policies and services. The Ministry of Defence is working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union to understand the implications and opportunities arising from EU Exit, in so far as it affects Defence.This work will continue to include assessing and developing plans for a range of outcomes, including contingencies for the unlikely scenario that no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. These plans would be implemented if and when appropriate.

Burma: Military Aid

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what requirements his Department has set for the re-establishment of military assistance provided by the UK to Myanmar.

Mark Lancaster: The Secretary of State took the decision to suspend our educational training courses provided to the Burmese military on 19 September, in light of the ongoing violence in Burma's Rakhine State, the growing humanitarian crisis it has caused, and our deep concern about the human rights abuses that are taking place.The UN Security Council has made clear that the Burmese must take immediate steps to stop the violence in Rakhine, to allow full access for humanitarian aid, resolve the refugee problem, ensure the protection of all civilians, and to implement the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations.We will continue to monitor the situation closely and to press the Government and Armed Forces of Burma to implement the steps outlined by the UNSC. Only when these issues are satisfactorily resolved will we consider reinstating our educational courses.

USA: Counter-terrorism

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on monitoring the contribution of UK personnel, intelligence and assets including British bases to US-led counter-terror operations that result in casualties.

Mark Lancaster: The Department ensures that any UK contribution to allies' operations is consistent with British values and British and international law. Legal advice is sought throughout the authorisation process, and policies such as the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance policy and the Cabinet Office Consolidated Guidance policy are also applied where relevant.

Counter-terrorism: Death

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether an estimate has been made of how many people have been killed in UK counter-terror operations outside of armed conflict since January 2017.

Mark Lancaster: Nobody has been killed in UK counter-terror operations outside of armed conflict since January 2017.

Yemen: Counter-terrorism

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many casualties have occurred as a result of joint US-UK counter-terror activities in Yemen since January 2017.

Mark Lancaster: The UK is not involved in counter-terror activities in Yemen.

Yemen: Counter-terrorism

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK personnel, intelligence, or assets including British bases were used in US raids which took place in the Yemeni villages of Yakla and Al Jubah in January and May 2017.

Mark Lancaster: No UK personnel, intelligence, or assets including British bases were used in raids in the Yemeni villages of Yakla and Al Jubah in January and May 2017.

USA: Counter-terrorism

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on reports that the US is adopting new standards relating to the use of force outside of armed conflict.

Sir Michael Fallon: My discussions with the US Defense Secretary have not included the use of force outside of armed conflict.

Military Intervention

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent representations he has made to coalition partners on trends in the number of civilian deaths caused by coalition airstrikes.

Mark Lancaster: My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary speaks regularly with his counterparts in the Global Coalition on the Counter Daesh campaign. The Coalition applies a rigorous targeting process to air strikes taking strict measures to minimise risk while providing the support needed on the ground and has shown that it will investigate any incidents reported to it.

Syria: Military Intervention

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the number of civilians killed by coalition airstrikes in Syria.

Mark Lancaster: As operations in Iraq and Syria have intensified we are seeing increasing evidence of Daesh's callous disregard for human life, their unwillingness to allow civilians to leave their homes and in some cases their deliberate attempts to use civilians to shield fighters from coalition strikes. This is why we must accept the risk of inadvertent civilian casualties. Rigorous coalition targeting processes take into account the conditions on the ground, including the potential presence of a civilian population. Reports of civilian casualties are and will continue to be taken very seriously. The Coalition investigates all credible claims and the results of any investigation are published.

Syria: Military Intervention

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the number of civilians killed by UK airstrikes in Syria.

Mark Lancaster: In carrying out airstrikes, expert analysts routinely examine data from every UK strike to assess its effect, and we do everything we can to minimise the risk of civilian casualties through rigorous targeting processes and the professionalism of the RAF crews. We co-operate fully with NGOs such as Airwars, who provide evidence they gather of civilian casualties. After detailed work on each case, we have been able to discount RAF involvement in any civilian casualties as a result of any of the strikes that have been brought to our attention.

Joint Exercises

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the Joint Doctrine Publication, entitled UK Joint Targeting Policy, on the Departmental website.

Mark Lancaster: There is no Joint Doctrine Publication on UK Joint Targeting Policy. The Allied Joint Publication on NATO doctrine for joint targeting is available on the Gov.uk website at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/allied-joint-doctrine-for-joint-targeting-ajp-39a

Joint Exercises

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Departmental policy, as outlined in Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30.2 unmanned aircraft systems of August 2017 includes targeting conducted (a) jointly by the different armed forces or (b) with allied nations.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Departmental policy, as outlined in Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30.2 unmanned aircraft systems of August 2017 applies to strikes outside of war zones.

Mark Lancaster: The Joint Doctrine Publication on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) applies to all uses of UAS across Defence at the operational level. It guides operational commanders and planning staff in understanding the terminology, tasking and employment of the UK's UAS.

International Assistance: Security

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for which countries his Department has made Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments in the last three years.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made on the effectiveness of its implementation of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to publish how it ensures the adequate implementation of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure its provision of overseas assistance is in accordance with the Government's human rights obligations.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations his Department received on its implementation of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments his Department has made in the last three calendar years.

Mark Lancaster: The Government applies its Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) human rights guidance to ensure that such assistance meets its human rights obligations and values. This guidance was revised and re-published in January 2017. The UK’s security and justice expertise is highly valued across the world and improves the standards and capabilities of law enforcement and security agencies operating in the most challenging environments. OSJA assessments are carried out before assistance is rendered and evaluates the risk of any training provided being used in a way that is not in line with human rights and British values. As the Foreign Secretary stated in his written ministerial statement on 26 January 2017 (HCWS441), the new OSJA process remains the most comprehensive and demanding tool of its type anywhere in the world. As the lead Department for OSJA policy, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) engaged with a number of human rights organisations (including members of the Foreign Secretary’s Advisory Groups on Human Rights) as part of the recent revision of the OSJA guidance and will continue to do so with regard to its implementation. The FCO will include information on the steps taken to implement OSJA across Government when it publishes its Annual Human Rights Report. Defence personnel consider the OSJA guidance for all new proposed assistance and extensions to existing assistance, and where a substantial change in circumstances has significantly altered the risk for existing assistance. The guidance is therefore considered in any country where assistance is planned. Authority for activity underpinned by OSJA assessments is made at different levels according to the risk, from personnel in-country to Ministers in Departments of State. The Ministry of Defence does not hold data covering all Defence OSJA assessments made in the last three calendar years.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to prevent the illegal trapping of migratory songbirds in sovereign base areas of Cyprus.

Mark Lancaster: Illegal trapping of migratory songbirds is one of the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) Administration's priorities. The SBA Administration prosecuted 78 people for bird trapping and poaching offences in the SBA last year and the SBA Police conducted 39 major mist netting clearance operations, resulting in the seizure of over 1,000 mist-nets and over 450 limesticks. This enforcement has impacted on bird trapping activity and this kind of intervention is continuing during this year's autumn migration. In addition to last year's successful use of motion activated cameras to catch trappers at Cape Pyla ranges, a SBA Police drone has been acquired and has provided enhanced capability to track and catch those carrying out this activity across the Eastern SBA.The Administration has also begun a programme to remove irrigation piping, which is placed by trappers to promote the growth of invasive acacia bushes, which are used by birds for roosting. Since July 2017, soldiers in support of the civil administration successfully destroyed up to 5.8km of irrigation piping on the Cape Pyla ranges during night time operations. This has already resulted in a significant deterioration and withering of many acacia bushes, and they can no longer be used for bird trapping.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in his Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 July 2017 to Question 5022 to the hon. Member of Arfron, (Hywel Williams).Given that a wide range of officials from across the Ministry of Defence are working on EU exit as part of their other duties, it's not possible to provide an accurate proportion.



5022 - WQnA extract on MOD Brexit
(Word Document, 13.03 KB)

Warships: Hygiene

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that hygiene standards are maintained in navy ship galleys.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ensure the operational effectiveness of their Units, the Royal Navy takes food hygiene extremely seriously. Galleys are subjected to routine cleans, followed by formal inspections by individual chefs and Logistics and Executive personnel, in addition to Operational Sea Training and Flotilla inspections.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Joint Force 2025 will be affected by the review of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

Sir Michael Fallon: The Government has initiated a review of national security capabilities in support of the continued implementation of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, to ensure the UK's investment in national security capabilities is as joined-up, effective and efficient as possible. Defence is contributing to this cross-Departmental effort, which is being overseen by the National Security Adviser. This work is on-going and no decisions have been made.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to publish the results of its review of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review being undertaken by its Director for Strategic Planning.

Sir Michael Fallon: The Government has initiated work on a review of national security capabilities in support of the continued implementation of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, to ensure the UK's investment in national security capabilities is as joined-up, effective and efficient as possible in the face of intensifying threats. Defence is contributing to this cross-Departmental effort, which is being overseen by the National Security Adviser.

Warships: Decommissioning

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current planned operational retirement date is for (a) HMS Albion, (b) HMS Bulwark and (c) HMS Ocean.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential loss of (a) HMS Albion and (b) HMS Bulwark on the ability of the Royal Marines to deploy overseas.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans the Government has to sustain UK amphibious capabilities to 2025.

Harriett Baldwin: We continuously review the capabilities we require. The National Security Capability Review is focussed on the continued implementation of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, to ensure the United Kingdom’s investment in national security capabilities is as joined-up, effective and efficient as possible. No decisions have been made and any discussion of specific platforms or capabilities is speculation.On current plans the out of service dates for these vessels is provided below: ShipOut of Service DateHMS OCEAN2018HMS ALBION2033HMS BULWARK2034

NATO: Military Exercises

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many M3 amphibious bridging vehicles were deployed during NATO exercises in each of the last 10 years; what the name of the (a) exercise and (b) unit was engaged in each of those exercises; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many M3 amphibious bridging vehicles were utilised in (a) Operation Iron Wolf and (b) Saber Guardian; what the names of the units utilising those vehicles were; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many M3 amphibious bridging vehicles have been based in Germany in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many M3 amphibious bridging vehicles (a) have been purchased, (b) are in service and (c) are held in reserve; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: As at 1 April 2017, we had 38 M3 amphibious bridging vehicles. We do not routinely comment on specific levels of readiness and specific locations for individual capabilities as to do so would compromise operational security, or would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. 38 UK M3 amphibious bridging vehicles have been based in Germany in each of the last 10 years.

Red Arrows

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's plans are for the renewal of the jet aircraft used by the Red Arrows.

Harriett Baldwin: The Red Arrows use the Hawk T1 aircraft which is due to remain in service until 2030. The UK currently has a pool of 75 T1 aircraft from which the Red Arrows are able to draw. Given the number of aircraft currently in service there is no pressing need to make a decision on Red Arrows replacement. Consideration will be given to replacing the Hawk T1 in due course but a decision is unlikely to be taken until after the end of the parliament.

Navy

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the workforce of the Royal Navy.

Mark Lancaster: The Royal Navy employs a number of methods to recruit and retain personnel.For recruitment the Royal Navy uses targeted advertising campaigns, web based and social media, radio and specific recruitment events. In addition, a range of mechanisms are used to attract and develop recruits including apprenticeship schemes and staged remunerative awards targeted at specialist areas.In terms of retention of experienced personnel, a number of initiatives have been introduced, including targeted retention incentives and career extensions. Further developments under the Defence People Programme, such as flexible engagements, will help ensure that this process continues.

Falkland Islands

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of how the Falkland Islands could be recaptured in the event of invasion without the use of Royal Navy amphibious capabilities provided by HMS Albion, HMS Bulwark and HMS Ocean.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence remains committed to Defence and Security of the Falkland Islands and as such, protecting the right to self-determination. We undertake regular assessments of potential military threats to ensure that we retain an appropriate level of capability in the Falklands and a robust plan to rapidly reinforce, to address any such threats.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the depreciation in the value of sterling has affected the projected procurement numbers of (a) F-35 fighter jets, (b) P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and (c) Boeing Apache attack helicopters.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) centrally manages the impact of variations in foreign exchange rates as part of the routine financial management of the defence programme. The foreign currency arrangements in place will limit the impact from the current foreign exchange position and any further considerations will be dealt with as part of the MOD's annual planning cycle.This has not affected the projected procurement numbers of the aircraft listed.

Antiship Missiles

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to replace the Royal Navy's Harpoon Anti-Ship missile after its retirement in 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 105167 on 10 October 2017 to the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Andrew Bowie).



105167 - WQnA extract on Antiship missiles
(Word Document, 12.36 KB)

Northern Ireland Office

Social Services: Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the provision of children's services across the border for young people in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Government has consistently made clear our objective of maintaining as seamless and frictionless border as possible so that everyday movements across the border can continue as they do now. This is a desire shared with the EU and with Ireland. As agreed in the September negotiating round, we are working with the Commission Task Force to do some detailed joint scoping of the issues arising from North-South cooperation that will need to be addressed as part of the Northern Ireland and Ireland strand of the negotiations in the context of the UK's future relationship with the EU. This Conservative Government is getting on with the job of delivering a Brexit that works for everyone, including young people in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Office: Non-governmental Organisations

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which non-governmental organisations (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) Officials of his Department have met since January 2017.

Chloe Smith: Details of meetings conducted by the Secretary of State, the Ministerial team and the Permanent Secretary are published quarterly.The latest publication can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nio-ministerial-quarterly-returns-january-march-2017.Other officials across the department, in carrying out their duties, also meet a wide range of non-governmental organisations on a regular basis. This information is not held centrally.

Northern Ireland Office: Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many meetings he has had with the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser in the last three months.

Chloe Smith: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland meets with a wide range of government officials and external organisations in the course of his duties. He has not met with the Government Chief Scientific Adviser in the last three months.

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in his Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Chloe Smith: EU Exit affects a number of work areas across the Department and will therefore encompass a proportion of workload for many staff, the amount of which will vary over time. The Department has recently restructured its approach to the way it handles EU Exit work, moving from a central EU Exit co-ordinating team of 7 to a position in which core EU Exit work is distributed more widely across the whole department.

Analgesics: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Assembly on guidance to improve safety of painkillers.

Chloe Smith: Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office have had no discussions with the Northern Ireland Assembly on guidance to improve the safety of painkillers as this is a devolved matter.We want to see a restored Executive to take forward policy decisions in devolved areas and to provide the political decision making that Northern Ireland needs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8035, on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: cybercrime, whether his Department requires contractors to have obtained a certificate from the Government Cyber Essentials scheme; and how many and what proportion of contractors doing work for his Department have obtained such a certificate.

George Eustice: My Department applies the principles of Procurement Policy Note 09/14 (Cyber Essentials scheme) where relevant, having regard to the circumstances the Cyber Essentials Scheme is designed to cover and the procurement route selected (some of which have comprehensive cyber security obligations built in to the framework).

Game: Animal Welfare

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to enforce the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The welfare of gamebirds is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which makes it an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal or to fail to provide an animal with its welfare needs. The statutory Gamebird code, which was made under the 2006 Act, provides additional protection and provides keepers with guidance on how to meet the welfare needs of their gamebirds. Failure to follow the code's recommendations can be used in evidence in court to support a welfare prosecution. Inspectors from theAnimal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will refer to the code when they have been asked to inspect a game farm. When required APHA advise farmers on achieving compliance and, if appropriate, legal action will be taken.

Research: Libraries

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, whether the seven EU Reference Laboratories based in the UK will be relocated after the UK leaves the EU; whether an economic assessment has been carried out on the potential effects of such relocation; and whether an assessment has been carried out on the potential effect of such relocation on the future of UK research.

George Eustice: As part of our preparations to leave the EU, we will consider how we continue to collaborate with European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to look at future arrangements including for the EU Reference Laboratories based in the UK, and consider the impact on UK research and access to data, skills and intelligence. The UK will look to build on its unique relationship with the EU and establish an agreement on science and innovation that maintains and enhances research links..

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanism will beused to ensure that UK domestic legislation captures changes to CITES when the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will make sure that the body of existing EU environmental law continues to have effect in UK law followed by the introduction of secondary legislation as required. This will include regulations linked to CITES. Any future changes will be updated through secondary legislation.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

George Eustice: The amount of steel procured by the Department continues to be negligible as was advised in PQ 50636 (October 2016) and PQ 60074 (January 2017).

Milk: USA

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department had made of the potential effect on the UK organic milk industry's trade with the US of the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: The UK Government is committed to seeking continuity in its current trade and investment relationships. Initial discussions between Defra officials and their US counterparts have made it clear that enabling trade in organic products between the UK and the US to continue is in the interest of both parties.

European Environment Agency

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of replicating the relevant functions of the European Environment Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: In common with other EU agencies, as part of exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU (and European Environment Agency Member Countries) any potential future relationship with the European Environment Agency. Currently, no decisions have been taken on the future UK membership of EU Agencies, including the European Environment Agency.In taking any decisions on replicating relevant functions, the Government will always look to minimise disruption and costs.

European Environment Agency

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the number of staff required to replicate the relevant functions of the European Environment Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: In common with other EU agencies, as part of exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU (and European Environment Agency Member Countries) any potential future relationship with the European Environment Agency. Currently, no decisions have been taken on the future UK membership of EU Agencies, including the European Environment Agency.In taking any decisions on replicating relevant functions, the Government will always look to minimise disruption and costs.

Food: EU Law

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what representations he has received from the food and drink sector on the creation of an equivalent definition to Regulation 178/2002 on market placement during negotiations with the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what plans he has to support industry in the event that negotiations with the EU do not result in the creation of an equivalent definition to Regulation 178/2002 on market placement.

George Eustice: There are regular discussions between Ministers and UK industries on the effect of leaving the EU. The Government is continually assessing the impact of the decision to leave the EU on trade. We look forward to continuing our work with industry, rural communities and the wider public to shape our plans for a future outside the EU.

Food: EU Law

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what assessment he has made of the economic effect on industry of negotiations with the EU not resulting in the creation of an equivalent definition to Regulation 178/2002 on market placement.

George Eustice: We want to ensure that the availability of goods onto the UK and European markets is not disrupted at and after exit day as well as providing certainty and continuity to businesses. As part of our preparations for UK Exit, we are conducting rigorous analysis on various withdrawal scenarios to understand the economic impact.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in his Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: Over 80% of Defra’s agenda is affected by the UK’s departure from the European Union and as a result, many roles across the Defra group are now supporting EU exit-related work, either directly or indirectly. We continue to keep our resourcing plans under review, focusing both on recruitment and increasing the capability of new and existing staff.

Beavers

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Minister of his Department is responsible for taking decisions to approve or reject specific proposals for projects to reintroduce beavers into the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Under section 78 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, the Secretary of State has authorised Natural England to act on his behalf to determine applications for licences to release species, including the European beaver, subject to the controls in section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). The Secretary of State may, as he sees fit, instruct Natural England in respect to the discharge of this function and he may also choose to make the final determination of a licence himself.There is a Forestry Commission proposal to release beavers into a fenced enclosure in the Forest of Dean near Lydbrook. This project would require a conditional licence allowing release into a secure enclosure. An application for a licence would need to be submitted to Natural England to determine, and the evidence required would include whether there are appropriate measures in place to keep the beavers securely and to recapture any animals that should escape.

Beavers: Forest of Dean

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the proposal for the reintroduction of beavers to the Forest of Dean near Lydbrook; which Minister of his Department is responsible for making a decision on that project; when such a decision will be made; whether that project requires approval by the Forestry Commission; whether such approval has been given; and what precise scientific evidence his Department will use to reach a decision on that matter.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Under section 78 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, the Secretary of State has authorised Natural England to act on his behalf to determine applications for licences to release species, including the European beaver, subject to the controls in section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). The Secretary of State may, as he sees fit, instruct Natural England in respect to the discharge of this function and he may also choose to make the final determination of a licence himself.There is a Forestry Commission proposal to release beavers into a fenced enclosure in the Forest of Dean near Lydbrook. This project would require a conditional licence allowing release into a secure enclosure. An application for a licence would need to be submitted to Natural England to determine, and the evidence required would include whether there are appropriate measures in place to keep the beavers securely and to recapture any animals that should escape.

Beavers

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the reintroduction of beavers to the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Under section 78 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, the Secretary of State has authorised Natural England to act on his behalf to determine applications for licences to release species, including the European beaver, subject to the controls in section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). The Secretary of State may, as he sees fit, instruct Natural England in respect to the discharge of this function and he may also choose to make the final determination of a licence himself.There is a Forestry Commission proposal to release beavers into a fenced enclosure in the Forest of Dean near Lydbrook. This project would require a conditional licence allowing release into a secure enclosure. An application for a licence would need to be submitted to Natural England to determine, and the evidence required would include whether there are appropriate measures in place to keep the beavers securely and to recapture any animals that should escape.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Nationals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to publish previously unpublished reviews, studies and reports into the effects of EU migration on UK wages and the UK economy.

Brandon Lewis: A number of reports on the economic impacts of migration have been published by the Government, including the report jointly published by the Home Office and then Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in 2014 titled ‘Impacts of migration on UK native employment: an analytical review of the evidence’ which provides a comprehensive summary of the research on labour market impacts of migration.

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7508, on cybercrime, what her estimate is of the size of the population who did not have any engagement with the CyberAware campaign.

Mr Ben  Wallace: At the end of the 2016/2017 reporting period for Cyber Aware an estimated 11 million adults and 1.4 million SMEs nationally claimed they were maintaining or intending to take up key cyber security behaviours as a result of Cyber Aware.* This is based on evidence from the National Cyber Security Tracker, a regular online panel survey of approximately 4,000 consumers and 1,200 SMEs, designed to measure the adoption of safer cyber security behaviours.

Home Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 9968, what the policy evaluations referred to are; and how much was paid from the public purse to the Behavioural Insights Team for each such evaluation.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Behavioural Insights Team have been used to evaluate a number of sensitive policy areas across the Home Office. The policy areas include CT, wider security and the Policing sector.

Asylum

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7032, how many and what proportion of asylum seekers do not access the support referred to while their cases are considered.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office publishes a range of figures on the number of people applying for asylum and asylum support in both the quarterly migration statistics and quarterly transparency data full details of which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2017 This data shows that in Q2 2017 the Home Office received 6172 applications for asylum and separately 3784 applications for Section 95 support were received. Asylum seekers can apply for a support at any point prior to final determination of their application for asylum and therefore details on the proportion of asylum seekers who do not apply for any form of support could only be provided at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

Undocumented Migrants: Calais

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been provided to French authorities for (a) security fencing and (b) policing in Calais.

Brandon Lewis: Since the commencement of the Joint Fund in November 2014, approximately 50.2 million Euros has been used to build or enhance fencing at the juxtaposed controls in France. The UK has not provided funding for French policing in the Calais area.

Home Office: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7934, what proportion of consultancy assignment contracts have been contracted on a (a) maximum, (b) capped and (c) fixed cost basis in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The Home Department does not hold the information required for years prior to the current Financial Year (2017/18). For this FY 201718, year to date, for agreements entered into:a) 70% - Maximum Price basis;b) 28% - Capped Price basis;c) 2% - Fixed Cost (daily rate) basis, subject to an overarching limit of liability.

Asylum

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library data on the average waiting times for case resolution for asylum seekers in cases involving torture for each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: Data on the timeliness of asylum decisions can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2017

Human Trafficking: Swansea

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are currently in place to combat sex trafficking in the Swansea area.

Sarah Newton: To support police forces in England and Wales tackle all forms of modern slavery, the Government has provided £8.5m of additional funding to provide bespoke and dedicated modern slavery capabilities, including intelligence and training functions. How these capabilities are utilised in the Swansea area is an operational decision for the Chief Constable of South Wales Police, working with the Police and Crime Commissioner, the NCA and other partners where necessary.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish a timeline for the registration process for non-UK EU citizens applying to remain in the UK following March 2019.

Brandon Lewis: All qualifying EU citizens and their family members will be given adequate time to apply for the new settled status. The Government intends to introduce a voluntary scheme to enable eligible EU citizens and their family members to apply for this status before the UK leaves the EU, if they wish to do so.For those who do not wish to apply before the UK leaves the EU, a grace period of blanket permission will last from EU exit day for a fixed period of time, which we will specify in due course, but which we expect to be up to two years.We will publish further details regarding the timetable in due course but we intend to launch the scheme in 2018.

Asylum: Housing

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure that private subcontractors providing accommodation for asylum seekers are meeting the standards of the Housing Act and that such measures are enforced and complaints acted on.

Brandon Lewis: Accommodation providers are required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation that complies with the Decent Homes Standard in addition to standards outlined in relevant national or local housing legislation.The contract requires Providers to visit and inspect each property every month and UKVI inspects a significant proportion of properties each year to ensure standards are being met. Where asylum accommodation is found to be falling short of the required standards UKVI has procedures in place to inspect, investigate and quickly resolve when specific information is received and a contract management regime to monitor supplier performance and take measures where appropriate.

Asylum: Housing

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been moved more than four times in a year by (a) G4S and (b) other providers of accommodation for asylum seekers.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office closely monitors the movement of all asylum seekers by accommodation providers, however historic statistics on the number of people who have been relocated from dispersed accommodation more than four times in a year could only be provided at disproportionate cost.All relocation requests are monitored by UKVI and no individual will be moved on more than two occasions within a twelve month period unless there are exceptional circumstance.

UK Visas and Immigration: Lost Property

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much compensation has been paid to applicants for documents recorded as lost by UK Visas and Immigration in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not centrally recorded.

Passports

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications were received by HM Passport Office in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Brandon Lewis: Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HM Passport Office) received 6,398,160 UK passport applications in 2014. In 2015 HM Passport Office received 6,946,504 applications and in 2016, HM Passport Office received 7,091,695 applications. I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the information in the attached link where applications are shown by month of intake.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmpo-transparency-data-august-2017

Immigration Controls: Airports

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many e-gates there are at each UK airport; and how many such gates were operational on 21 July 2017.

Brandon Lewis: Protecting the UK border is, and always has been, of paramount importance to this Government. It has never been government practice, for reasons of national security, to comment on operational issues relating to border security. This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of eGates specifically.There are currently 232 e-Passport gates operating across 12 UK airports.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the country of origin was of EU citizens applying for passports in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not available.

Passports: EU Nationals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applicants were EU citizens in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Brandon Lewis: HM Passport Office does not statistical information on dual citizenship therefore we cannot provide the information requested.

Home Office: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress her Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Sarah Newton: There are no major construction projects underway or approved in the Home Office estate. The estate is kept under review to ensure that it meets the needs of the business. Our procurement activities for any future projects will follow Government guidance to ensure we take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to extend the Immigration Skills charge to EU citizens when the UK leaves the EU.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk on the 17th of June, UIN 1040

Asylum: Medical Records

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has started contacting asylum seekers asking them to sign a consent form that would give her Department access to their personal medical records.

Brandon Lewis: The process of obtaining medical information is not a mandatory part of the asylum process nor is it a new process. Before any decision is made on an asylum claim it is vital we are aware of any information that is relevant to the award of any form of leave.

Human Trafficking: Prostitution

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to tackle the involvement of sex trafficking in the sex and prostitution industries; what assessment she has made of regional disparities in the quantom of that involvement; and what steps she is taking to help protect female sex workers.

Sarah Newton: To support police forces in England and Wales tackle all forms of modern slavery, the Government has provided £8.5m of additional funding to provide bespoke and dedicated modern slavery capabilities, including intelligence and training functions. We recognise the need to gather a robust evidence base on the scale and nature of all forms of prostitution and sex work in England and Wales, including geographical variations. The Home Office has begun the process of commissioning this research, with academics and researchers invited to bid to develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature, prevalence and composition of prostitution and sex work in England and Wales. The Government is committed to protecting those selling sex from harm and enabling the police to target those who exploit vulnerable people involved in prostitution. We have provided £389,000 to organisations which help those who want to leave prostitution and sex work. Merseyside PCC have also been awarded £650,000 from the VAWG Transformation Fund to provide a victim-focused service for sex workers who are victims, or at risk of sexual or domestic violence and abuse, exploitation or human trafficking.

Immigration: Children and Young People

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether children and young people resident in the UK are able to apply for settled status in their own right.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), sets out that EU citizens, including children and young people, who arrive in the UK before the specified date and have five years’ continuous residence, will be able to apply for UK settled status. EU citizens who arrive before the specified date, but do not yet have five years’ continuous residence, will be able to make an application to stay until they have built up the necessary five continuous years’ residence to be able to apply for UK settled status.

British National (Overseas)

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many British National Overseas passport holders are resident in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) other EU member states, (d) Hong Kong and (e) the People's Republic of China.

Brandon Lewis: Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not hold statistical information on the current residency of UK passport holders, including British National Overseas passports.An applicant’s address is known to us at the point of application, but there is no requirement for a UK passport holder to update us with a change of address.

Asylum: Suicide

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of refugees and asylum seekers who have died as a result of suicide or who have attempted suicide while in the process of being deported from the UK in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Individuals holding refugee status or those with a pending asylum claim are not subject to removal or deportation from the United Kingdom. Where notified, information on the number of individuals subject to removal or deportation processes who have attempted suicide or who have died as a result of suicide, is held in individual records. The data requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Individuals detained prior to their removal or deportation and who may be at risk of self harm are monitored under the self harm reduction strategy for detention and escorting, Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork. This guidance is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessing-care-in-detention-self-harm-reduction-strategy

International Assistance: Security

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments her Department has made in the last three calendar years.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of its implementation of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations her Department has received on its implementation of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to publish how it ensures the adequate implementation of the Overseas Security Justice Assistance framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for which countries her Department has made Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments in the last three years.

Brandon Lewis: A variety of organisations under the Home Office umbrella, including core departments and arm’s length bodies, have undertaken human rights assessments over the last three years in line with the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) guidance. The number and geographical spread of these assessments will be reflected in our annual return to Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).The Home Office is implementing the OSJA process in line with the FCO guidance. The relevant diplomatic mission maintains an in-country assessment which is used as the basis for OSJA assessments done by the Home Office. This ensures consistency across all Departments. We do not plan to publish bespoke guidance.The Home Office has received representations on human rights issues, though not specifically on the department’s implementation of OSJA.The Home Office has not assessed the effectiveness of its implementation of the OSJA process.

Immigration: Biometrics

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what average time it took to (a) issue a replacement biometric card and (b) determine an indefinite leave to remain application in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: UK Visas and Immigration have different service standards for all Biometric Replacement Cards, these are dependent upon the immigration leave that an individual may have. Published service standards for all Indefinite Leave to Remain applications are to complete 100% of straightforward applications within six months. Where an application is defined as non-straightforward, due to complexity, the customer will be written to within the normal processing time to explain why it will not be decided within the normal standard, and to explain what will happen next.

Asylum

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of failed asylum seekers currently in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: Details of total numbers of cases who have had asylum claims refused, have no basis to remain having exhausted all appeal rights and are subject to removal action, can be found in Asylum transparency data:www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2017

Asylum

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the proportion of cases is in which a person granted humanitarian protection in the last 10 years has subsequently had that protection subsequently withdrawn as no longer required.

Brandon Lewis: I am sorry but the data required to answer the question is not recorded in a way that can be reported on accurately.

Carers: Foreign Nationals

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the position of Zambrano carers after the UK leaves the EU is being discussed in the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The Government publishes details of its negotiating position on citizens’ rights on the gov.uk webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/648148/September_-_Joint_technical_note_on_the_comparison_of_EU-UK_positions_on_citizens__rights.pdf.As set out in the personal scope section of the table, the focus of the citizens’ rights negotiations is on those currently resident in the UK under the Free Movement Directive and Article 21 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union. Further proposals, relating to those who derive a right of residence from other instruments of European Union (EU) law, will be set out in due course.

Catering: Migrant Workers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that chefs and catering staff are able to travel to the UK from the EU and take up job opportunities.

Brandon Lewis: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 October 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Data on UK Visas and Immigration temporary and permanent migration activities including In-Country Work In Progress Casework, and Percentage of Temporary and Permanent Migration in-country visa applications for each Route, processed within Service Standards, is published on the .GOV.UK website. The relevant Routes are ‘Spouse/Partner’ and ‘HR/Complex Case’ as indicated on worksheet InC_01 and InC_01a.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-dataThe relevant tables are also attached to this answer.2014 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 29.66 KB)2015 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 38.02 KB)2016 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 40.81 KB)Until the UK leaves the EU, EU citizens continue to have the same rights to live and work in the UK, as was the case before Article 50 was triggered.

Brandon Lewis: Data on UK Visas and Immigration temporary and permanent migration activities including In-Country Work In Progress Casework, and Percentage of Temporary and Permanent Migration in-country visa applications for each Route, processed within Service Standards, is published on the .GOV.UK website. The relevant Routes are ‘Spouse/Partner’ and ‘HR/Complex Case’ as indicated on worksheet InC_01 and InC_01a.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-dataThe relevant tables are also attached to this answer.2014 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 29.66 KB)2015 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 38.02 KB)2016 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 40.81 KB)Until the UK leaves the EU, EU citizens continue to have the same rights to live and work in the UK, as was the case before Article 50 was triggered.

Personation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their identity stolen in each of the last five years.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office do not hold the information requested. The use of another person’s identification details (or the use of false identification details), often referred to identity theft, is not itself an offence in law.Most instances of ‘Identity Theft’ come to light when victim’s details are used fraudulently to obtain goods, services or money using credit arrangements or loans. Figures on these offences are collated by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics in the bulletin Crime in England and Wales in Table A5: The latest available data can be found in table A5:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables

Visas

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people waited (a) less than a week, (b) less than two weeks, (c) less than three months, (d) less than six months and (e) more than six months to have their documents and visa returned after a successful visa application in the latest period for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office.

Visas

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has targets or standards for processing times for non-straightforward visa applications.

Brandon Lewis: Where it is likely to be necessary to make further enquiries where UKVI has no control over the time it may take, such as enquiries to external organisations or waiting for the applicant to submit additional information, or where the necessary enquiries will take longer than the published service standard UKVI will defer an application as ‘complex'. Where an application has been classified as complex and cannot be concluded within published services standards, we will write to the customer to inform them that it will not be decided within the service standard.

Visas

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the criteria are for a non-straightforward immigration application for each type of visa.

Brandon Lewis: Visa applications are considered to be complex where additional information is required and the timeline for producing this is outside of the control of the department.

Asylum

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of restrictions to work on asylum seekers whose applications take longer than six months to process.

Brandon Lewis: Asylum seekers are not allowed to work in the UK unless their claim has been outstanding for at least 12 months through no fault of their own. The policy is designed to protect the resident labour market so that access to employment is prioritised for British citizens and lawful residents, including those granted refugees status. Asylum seekers do not need to work whilst their claim is considered – they are provided with accommodation and support to meet their essential living needs if they would otherwise be destitute.

Immigration

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) complex and (b) non-complex applications for leave to remain on the basis of family and private life have been assessed in each year since 2014.

Brandon Lewis: Data on UK Visas and Immigration temporary and permanent migration activities including In-Country Work In Progress Casework, and Percentage of Temporary and Permanent Migration in-country visa applications for each Route, processed within Service Standards, is published on the .GOV.UK website. The relevant Routes are ‘Spouse/Partner’ and ‘HR/Complex Case’ as indicated on worksheet InC_01 and InC_01a.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-dataThe relevant tables are also attached to this answer.2014 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 29.66 KB)2015 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 38.02 KB)2016 figures (Excel SpreadSheet, 40.81 KB)

Immigration

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's processes are for the assessment of (a) complex and (b) non-complex applications for leave to remain on the basis of family and private life.

Brandon Lewis: The published statistics on grants and refusals of extensions of leave by category can be found in table ex_01_q in the Immigration Statistics release. The latest release Immigration Statistics covering 2015-16 and 2016-17, is available for download at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017-data-tables with the extensions tables at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/638594/extensions-apr-jun-2017-tables.ods

Sexual Offences: Advisory Services

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received the report entitled Application of Section 41 Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999; A survey of independent sexual violence advisers, published by Lime Culture in September 2017.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office has received the ‘Application of Section 41 Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999; A survey of independent sexual violence advisers’ report and is providing support for the work by the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office looking at how Section 41 is working in practice.

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to incorporate the Istanbul Convention on violence against women into UK law.

Sarah Newton: The Government signed the Istanbul Convention to signal the UK’s strong commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). This Government remains fully committed to ratifying, once the UK is fully compliant with the Convention. Since signing the Convention in 2012, we have continued to step up our efforts to combat VAWG; we have strengthened the law; introduced new protective tools; and issued a range of guidance and support for frontline professionals. In most respects the UK already complies with, or goes further than the Convention requires. However there remains one outstanding issue in relation to extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) which needs to be addressed and this requires primary legislation. We will introduce the ETJ measures necessary for compliance in England and Wales as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill and we are engaging with the Devolved Administrations on the measures necessary to ensure compliance in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This Government supported The Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act 2017, which requires the Secretary of State to lay a report before Parliament on the measures being taken to enable the UK to ratify the Istanbul Convention.The Government will be publishing this report by 1 November 2017, as required by the Act.

Sexual Offences: Football

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many junior football coaches have been charged with sexual offences in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: These data are not held by Government. The police take any allegation of abuse very seriously. A number of forces are investigating the allegations of abuse in football. Operation Hydrant is providing operational coordination of the allegations received by police forces across the country regarding non-recent abuse in football.

Vetting

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current waiting time is for processing a Disclosure and Barring Service check for a British citizen.

Sarah Newton: The average process time for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application is 11.37 days (September 2017). The application form for a DBS check includes a field for nationality, but it is not mandatory to complete, therefore information on nationality is not routinely captured.

Yvonne Fletcher

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued a letter to Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk stating that she is not a suspect in the murder of Yvonne Fletcher.

Mr Ben  Wallace: It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to discuss who is or is not a suspect in police investigations. The police are responsible for investigating criminal activity and determining who they consider to be suspects based on the evidence available.

Modern Slavery Act 2015

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on implementing sections (a) 54, (b) 49 and (c) 50 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The majority of the provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015 have now commenced. Section 54 came into force on 29 October 2015 and thousands of slavery and human trafficking statements have been published since. Interim guidance for frontline staff has already been published and we will consult with stakeholders on statutory guidance required under Section 49 prior to publication. Both this guidance and the question of exercising section 50 of the Act are under active consideration as part of the reform of the National Referral Mechanism.

Human Trafficking

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on the operation of the National Referral Mechanism for victims of trafficking of the recommendations made on that mechanism by Jeremy Oppenheim and published in November 2014.

Sarah Newton: Officials have considered the recommendations published in the 2014 Review of the National Referral Mechanism and tested recommendations on identification and decision-making through a 18 month pilot. The findings from the pilot will inform the reform of the National Referral Mechanism.

Crime: Children

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) make an assessment of the prevalence of child criminal exploitation and (b) bring forward legislative proposals to establish a definition for such exploitation under the Modern Slavery Act 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The criminal exploitation of children is one of a number of exploitative practices that forms part of modern slavery. Where children are found to be victims of modern slavery their safety and welfare needs must be addressed as the priority, this includes providing the required tailored support which addresses their specific needs and vulnerabilities. Child criminal exploitation can consist of a range of criminal activities including cannabis cultivation, sham marriage, county lines, forced begging, benefit fraud and theft. The National Crime Agency includes criminal exploitation within the labour exploitation statistics. In the year to June 2017, there were 506 children either confirmed as victims of slavery or pending a decision all citing labour exploitation within the NRM. The latest published threat assessment of county lines gang violence, exploitation and drug supply prepared by the National Crime Agency in November 2016 identified in excess of 200 young and vulnerable persons as being exploited by gangs for criminal purposes within a six month period. This figure is considered to be a significant under-estimate as exploited individuals are often unwilling to talk to the police. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 is a world leading and ground breaking piece of legislation. The Act already makes a number of specific provisions to recognise the unique vulnerabilities of children and we have no current plans to amend it.

Cyril Smith

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make representations to the police to reopen investigations into Cyril Smith following information revealed to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Sarah Newton: The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is currently holding a public hearing into allegations of the sexual abuse and exploitation of children residing at or attending Cambridge House Boys’ Hostel, Knowl View School, and other institutions where their placement was arranged or provided by Rochdale Borough Council. This includes allegations relating to Sir Cyril Smith.It would be entirely inappropriate for the Government to comment on these matters while the work of the IICSA is ongoing.

Vetting

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on pre-adult criminal offences being carried over into adulthood when a Disclosure and Barring Service check is requested by a legal adult.

Sarah Newton: For standard criminal record checks and enhanced criminal record checks a conviction incurred by a person under the age of 18 is disclosable for five and a half years from the date of conviction. A caution, reprimand or warning incurred before the age of 18 is disclosable for two years from the date it was issued. However, certain specified offences or a conviction receiving a custodial sentence will always be disclosed, and if someone has more than one conviction, then all their convictions will be disclosed. This is the case regardless of whether the convictions were incurred under the age of 18 or as an adult. The arrangements are set out in the Police Act 1997 as amended by the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates: Relevant Matters) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013. A basic certificate will disclose any unspent convictions and conditional cautions as provided for by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Counter-terrorism

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what standard follow-up actions are undertaken after a referral to the Prevent strategy.

Mr Ben  Wallace: Prevent is about safeguarding and supporting individuals to stop them from being drawn into terrorism. For individuals at risk, a multi-agency Channel programme exists to provide support which is voluntary and confidential. All referrals are carefully assessed to determine whether support is required. Following assessment, where it is concluded that support is not required through the Channel programme, individuals may be signposted for alternative forms of support available through our partners, for example Social Services.

Counter-terrorism

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals have been made under the Prevent strategy since 2015.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office intends to publish Prevent and Channel data in the near future. Since 2012, over 1,000 individuals have been provided with support.

Domestic Violence

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the incidence of domestic violence.

Sarah Newton: This Government has introduced a new offence of coercive and controlling behaviour, rolled out new tools like domestic violence protection orders and committed over £100m to support victims.We are firmly committed to doing everything we can to tackle domestic abuse which is why we have also announced that we will bring forward a landmark Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill to protect and support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

Fire and Rescue Services: Cheshire

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of changes in the level of government funding on fire and rescue services in Cheshire.

Mr Nick Hurd: Fire and rescue services have the resources they need to do their important work. In 2017/18 Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service have a core spending power of £40.9 million, and reserves of £33.8 million at March 2016. Over the last 5 years the level of reserves has more than doubled and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service have seen a 31 per cent reduction in fires and a 6 per cent reduction in overall incidents.

Motor Vehicles: Theft

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to reduce vehicle theft.

Mr Nick Hurd: The number of vehicle thefts remains significantly lower than the peak in the mid 1990s. However, we know that the methods used by criminals are constantly evolving. This is why the Home Office brought together the vehicle industry and the police to ensure that the response to vehicle theft takes account of the latest methods being used by criminals.

Family Planning: Clinics

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to strengthen public order legislation to address protests by religious and other groups outside family planning clinics.

Amber Rudd: Peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. However, the Government is clear that rights to peaceful protest do not extend to harassment, intimidating behaviour or serious disruption to the community and the law provides protection against such behaviour. The police have a range of powers to manage protests and the use of police powers is an operational matter for them.

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the UK's international aid budget is managed by the EU.

Rory Stewart: In 2015, 10.9% of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) was made up of core assessed contributions to the EU and spending managed through the European Development Fund (EDF).

Commonwealth: Mental Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to help ensure that access to mental health services is prioritised as a basic human right in all Commonwealth countries.

Alistair Burt: The UK is committed to supporting work to improve global mental health in International Development through DFID’s Disability Framework, the Global Goals and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.DFID supports work to ensure access to mental health services in Commonwealth countries, such as in Ghana where we are helping to establish a Mental Health Authority, and providing mental health training to healthcare workers.

Malaria

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the international financing required to end malaria.

Alistair Burt: DFID supports the achievement of the global malaria targets for 2030; these include aiming for at least a 90% reduction of malaria deaths from a 2015 baseline. The World Health Organisation estimates that this will require the total annual malaria spend to reach an estimated US$ 8.7 billion by 2030. DFID is the second largest international funder to the global malaria response.

Gaza: Overseas Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid the Government provided to Gaza in financial year (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15, (c) 2015-16 and (d) 2016-17; and what proportion of the sum her Department plans to provide to the Occupied Palestinian Territories for financial year 2017-18 will be used to support the people of Gaza.

Alistair Burt: Data for all DFID’s spend is available on the Statistics for International Development (SID) website athttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development. SID does not differentiate between DFID’s spend in the West Bank and Gaza.The UK provided more than £17 million in immediate humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014. In October 2014, the UK pledged a further £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo, including support for cash assistance to Palestinian refugees, mine removal and medical treatment. The UK has disbursed this pledge in its entirety. Since then the UK has provided additional support to Gaza, including supporting basic service delivery, such as health and education, through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), supporting humanitarian access, enabling reconstruction efforts and investing in job creation.

Gaza: Overseas Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what effect the electricity crisis has had on recipients of support from the UK's Palestinian Market Development Programme in Gaza; and whether those recipients have experienced a decrease in the viability and productivity of their businesses due to that crisis.

Alistair Burt: Through the Palestinian Market Development Programme (PMDP) DFID has supported 264 businesses in Gaza to recover from the 2014 Gaza war. As a result of electricity shortages some PMDP beneficiaries have had to cease operations and others have responded by taking actions such as adjusting working hours, operating below capacity and using more expensive sources of electricity such as generators. We urge all the parties to find a sustainable solution to increase electricity supply.

Gaza: Electricity

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the (a) effect of the ongoing electricity crisis on food security in the Gaza Strip and (b) long-term implications of the electricity crisis of agricultural production in the Gaza Strip.

Alistair Burt: According to the Food Security Sector (FSS) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), direct damages to agricultural produce as a result of electricity shortages are estimated at approximately 78,000 tons of vegetables, equivalent to 78 million New Israeli Shekels (£16.25 million) of lost revenues to agricultural workers. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has indicated that electricity shortages are creating increasingly unsustainable conditions for most of the agricultural production sector with significant loss of revenues for agricultural workers.

Iran: Overseas Aid

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Minister for the Middle East on 18 July 2017, Official Report, column 297WH, what funds her Department has allocated to supporting engagement with Iran on economic development and openness.

Alistair Burt: The Department for International Development has not allocated any funds to supporting engagement with Iran on economic development and openness.

Iran: Overseas Aid

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has provided to Iran to assist with human rights projects in each year since 2010-11; and how much such funding she plans to allocate in future years.

Alistair Burt: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any funding to Iran to assist with human rights projects since 2010, and has no plans to do so in future. Between 2011 and 2015, the UK held no diplomatic relations with Iran.

Department for International Development: Brexit

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in her Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Rory Stewart: Exit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is doing detailed work with departments to prepare for the upcoming negotiations by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning.Staff within the DFID Europe Department and DFID Trade for Development team based in the Department for International Trade, lead on providing advice to Ministers on EU Exit and exit-related issues and projects.Members of staff across the Department also provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required.Given the interactions between EU Exit work and the Department’s other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure.

Gaza: Sanitation

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide funding and support to improve the ageing water and sanitation infrastructure of the Gaza strip.

Alistair Burt: Urgent improvements to infrastructure in Gaza are essential to improve living conditions. DFID has provided technical assistance for feasibility studies for the Gaza desalinisation plant which will improve water security, and has supported the development of Gazan irrigation systems through the rehabilitation of water infrastructure. The UK is a shareholder in a number of major international financial institutions, such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, which support infrastructure projects across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK regularly raises the issue of water in the OPTs with the Israeli authorities to ensure fair distribution of water across the OPTs.

Developing Countries: Education

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to contribute to the Education Cannot Wait fund.

Priti Patel: The UK is a strong supporter of Education Cannot Wait and has been at the forefront of developing the fund. We were a founding donor and the largest contributor to the fund having pledged £30million from 2016 to 2018. We also provide technical expertise including through a DFID senior adviser seconded into the fund’s Secretariat.75 million children and youth are affected by emergencies and protracted crises and are in need of education support. Education Cannot Wait is a critical platform to raise additional funds for education in some of the most challenging contexts, including inside Syria and Yemen, and to transform the delivery of education in emergency contexts globally.

EU Aid

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to contribute towards and participate in the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations programme after the UK leaves the EU.

Rory Stewart: There will be no decisions on the future distribution of UK aid and future UK/EU policy until the Government’s negotiations on exiting the EU have concluded. On 12 September the Government published a Future Partnership Paper setting out how we might work with the EU on security, foreign policy and development after we have left the EU. We look forward to discussing our future partnership when the European Council is ready.

Vaccination: Children

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of children that will be vaccinated through the GAVI vaccine alliance by the end of 2020.

Alistair Burt: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, aims to vaccinate 300 million children between 2016 and 2020, saving between 5 and 6 million lives. This represents 60% of the world’s children. Gavi is ahead of schedule having immunised 62 million children in 2016 against a target of 50 million, and I estimate that Gavi will exceed its 300 million children target by the end of 2020.

Malaria: Disease Control

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of global progress towards the 2020 targets of reducing malaria cases and deaths by a further 40 per cent by 2020.

Alistair Burt: Malaria cases have reduced from 271 million in 2000 to 212 million in 2015, and death rates declined from 864,000 in 2000 to 429,000 in 2015. The 2016 WHO World Malaria Report showed that, while there is continued progress on reducing malaria cases and deaths, this needs to accelerate to meet the global milestone set for 2020. DFID is the second largest international funder to the global malaria response, supporting the global targets behind the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030.

HM Treasury

Financial Services: Registration

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Supervised Businesses Register was last updated; and how many firms are currently on that Register.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether information provided in the Supervised Businesses Register will be published in open data format.

Mel Stride: HMRC’s Supervised Businesses Register is updated daily and includes details of businesses supervised by HMRC for anti-money laundering purposes. Management Information is collected at the end of each month. As of 30th September 2017 there were 27,060 businesses on the register.HMRC does not intend to publish the information on the Supervised Business Register in an open data format. This is to prevent misuse of the data by third parties.

Public Sector: Pay

Emma Hardy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will remove the pay cap for public sector workers in (a) Hull West and Hessle and (b) England.

Elizabeth Truss: I set out the Government’s position on public sector pay in the House of Commons on 12 September 2017. A copy of this statement is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-09-12/HCWS127.

Nurseries: Registration

Daniel Zeichner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families have been affected by administrative errors in registering nurseries in the last six months.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many nurseries have not been properly registered by HM Revenue and Customs due to administrative error.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints HM Revenue and Customs has received regarding the registration of nurseries in the last six months.

Elizabeth Truss: This response relates to the experience of nurseries and other regulated childcare providers who have sought to sign up to receive Tax-Free Childcare payments. As of 9 October, over 50,000 childcare providers (49% of all regulated providers) had successfully signed-up for Tax-Free Childcare.Childcare providers sign-up with the childcare service to receive Tax-Free Childcare payments. The majority of childcare providers have been able to sign-up with no issues, and since launch, 84% of childcare providers have reported that they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the childcare provider sign up process.A small number of parents and providers have experienced technical difficulties using this service. There are currently 160 providers with an issue, 0.3% of the total that have signed up to date. We are working to fix these as soon as possible and in many cases can do so in a matter of days.

College of Policing: Taxation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the College of Policing has received from the apprenticeship levy for police training to date.

Elizabeth Truss: Given the issues associated with taxpayer confidentiality, we are unable to provide the amount each institution has received in Levy funds. Skills policy is devolved and the devolved administrations will receive a population share of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2016 forecast of revenue from the levy. In 2017-18, the Welsh Government will receive £128 million.

NHS: Training

Pete Wishart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many NHS staff have been in receipt of an income tax and national insurance refund through the NHS Widening Access Training scheme; and how many claims for such a refund are outstanding.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs has made just under 31000 refunds since the introduction of the NHS Widening Access Training scheme in 1999. Not all of these will include a refund of national insurance contributions but all will include a refund of income tax. Currently there are around 700 claims waiting to be processed.

Lloyds Banking Group: Fees and Charges

Lyn Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to pages 9 and 10 of the Competition and Markets Authority publication, entitled Making banks work harder for you, published on 9 August 2016, if he will make an assessment of recent changes to unplanned overdraft usage fees and charges by Lloyds Banking Group with regard to (a) their effect on vulnerable consumers, (b) their possible contribution to financial instability arising from increases in aggregate personal indebtedness at this time and (c) whether those changes reflect market power on part of Lloyds Banking Group.

Stephen Barclay: Decisions on overdraft fees and charges are a commercial matter for firms. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires firms to treat their customers fairly and has broad and robust powers to enforce breaches of its rules. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also has the power to investigate anti-competitive market practices. In its July 2017 review of high-cost credit, the FCA concluded that it had concerns about both arranged and unarranged overdrafts. It will investigate these concerns further, and where intervention is needed and justified, aim to consult in Spring 2018 on proposals concerning both overdrafts and other forms of high-cost credit. The Government supports the FCA’s work in this area and will continue to work with it to ensure that all consumers who use high-cost credit products are treated fairly. The independent Financial Policy Committee’s (FPC’s) most recently published policy statement noted that consumer credit has been growing rapidly, but does not in itself present a material risk to economic growth through its effect on household spending. The FPC has brought forward its assessment of stressed consumer credit lending in the Bank’s 2017 stress test, noting that regulatory capital buffers for individual firms would be set so that each bank can absorb its losses on consumer lending.

Pension Rights: Cohabitation

Chris Evans: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2017 to Question 652450, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the judgment of the Supreme Court of 8 February 2017 in the matter of an application by Denise Brewster for Judicial Review (Northern Ireland) [2017] UKSC8; and whether schemes will be required to revisit past cases where a survivor's pension was refused because no nomination had been made.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Treasury officials wrote out to public sector pension schemes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on 6 April 2017. The letter made clear that cases like that of Ms Brewster should be dealt with in line with the UK Supreme Court’s decision. Cases previously refused solely because of a lack of nomination form should be reconsidered and schemes should pay survivor benefits from the date of the member’s death in eligible cases, regardless of when a claim is made.

Children: Day Care

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the performance of National Savings and Investments and Atos since those companies started delivering tax-free childcare in April 2017.

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7777, what performance indicators he has agreed with National Savings and Investments for the delivery of tax-free childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: As detailed in response to a Parliamentary Question (7777) on 11 September, the performance indicators agreed with National Savings and Investments for the delivery of Tax-Free childcare cover a range of areas including customer experience, payment processing, and sign-up. The performance of Atos, as a delivery partner of National Savings & Investments is managed by a commercial agreement between National Savings & Investments and Atos.

Treasury: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 8044, how many and what proportion of firms have a Cyber Essentials qualification; and whether that qualification is a requirement for delivering work procured by his Department.

Andrew Jones: Suppliers must either have current Cyber Essentials certificate, or be compliant with the Cyber Essentials controls, if bidding for contracts let by our Department which involve the handling of sensitive and personal information and provision of certain technical products and services. Information on the number and proportion of firms that have a Cyber Essentials qualification could only be provided at disproportionate cost

Treasury: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 8044, what criteria his Department uses to determine which situations are appropriate for the application of cyber risk management.

Andrew Jones: Our criteria includes:- determining the nature (including any sensitivity) of any information that might be created, collected, transmitted, shared, used, or stored and the extent to which it might be potentially susceptible to cybersecurity risk.- determining the principal cybersecurity objectives related to availability, confidentiality, integrity of the information that need to be put in place to help to manage that risk.

Treasury: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8785, on Treasury: buildings, from whom those fees were collected; and which parts of the departmental estate those rents were for.

Andrew Jones: Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8785, a breakdown by tenant of rental income due to HM Treasury’s core department from the letting of its estate between financial years 2010/11 and 2016/17 is provided in the attached. All tenants rented space within 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ.



HMT lettings
(Word Document, 16.18 KB)

Coal: Mining

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the amount of tax revenue UK mined coal generates was for the Exchequer each year since 2010 to the latest year for which records are available; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: There are no taxes levied specifically on UK mined coal. This activity is subject to the UK's general taxation regimes such as VAT and Corporation Tax. However, it is not possible to say how much revenue these taxes raise from UK mined coal, as the number of companies involved is below the Government’s threshold for disclosing tax liabilities.

Tax Avoidance

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to make company directors personally liable for tax liabilities and associated legal costs where their company's tax avoidance scheme has been declared unlawful.

Mel Stride: The Government is committed to tackling tax avoidance and evasion at all levels to ensure everyone, no matter who they are, pays the right amount of tax at the right time. Last year, HMRC brought in a record additional £29 billion by cracking down on avoidance, evasion and non-compliance. The Government is legislating for over ten measures in the current Finance Bill to further crackdown on those who try to avoid or evade paying the tax that is owed. This includes a penalty for those who enable the use of tax avoidance schemes that are later defeated by HMRC – which builds on the action which has already been taken in tackling marketed avoidance.

Taxation: Domicil

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to counter the abuse of non-domicile status for tax purposes.

Mel Stride: Summer Budget 2015 announced a far-reaching set of reforms to the way that non-domiciled individuals are taxed in the UK to prevent abuse of the status. These reforms are now before Parliament in the Finance Bill and mean that:i) Those who are resident for 15 of the past 20 years will become deemed-domiciled for tax purposes;ii) Those who were born in the UK with a UK domicile of origin, but who have acquired a domicile of choice elsewhere, will no longer be able to claim non-domicile status for tax purposes while they are resident in the UK; andiii) Inheritance Tax will be charged on UK residential property even when it is owned indirectly through an offshore structure like a company and a trust.

Taxation: Domicil

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential effect on tax revenue of abolishing non-domicile status.

Mel Stride: No estimate has been made of the potential effect on tax revenue of abolishing the entire special tax regime for non-domiciled individuals.However, this government has introduced legislation that will change the taxation of non-domiciled individuals by ending permanent non-domiciled tax status. This is part of a wider package of reforms. The full package is expected to raise £1.6 billion in revenue over 5 years.The figures for the full package are set out in Table 2.2 of Spring Budget 2017 under two rows: “Non-domiciles: abolish permanent status” and “Non-domicile: IHT on UK residential property. They have been certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility. Measure2017 to 20182018 to 20192019 to 20202020 to 20212021 to 2022Non-dom: abolish permanent status-£20m£410m£330m£315m£310mNon-dom: IHT on UK residential property£25m£80m£50m£55m£65mNon-domiciled individuals make an important contribution to the UK, including £9.3 billion per year in income tax, capital gains tax and National Insurance contributions.

Money Laundering

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions the online payment system for anti-money laundering supervision has broken down in the last 12 months.

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to prevent the breakdown of the anti-money laundering supervision online payment system.

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of businesses' ability to report to HM Revenue and Customs faults on the anti-money laundering supervision online system.

Mel Stride: In May 2017, HMRC launched a new online registration system for anti-money laundering supervision. Payments for anti-money laundering supervision are made through the HMRC Online Payments Service. The HMRC Online Payments Service has experienced issues on two occasions in the last 12 months: on 31st July during the Self-Assessment payments peak, and on 26th September following routine upgrade work to the Online Payment feature. This upgrade improved the user experience and offered the option of payment by BACS. The issues following this upgrade were resolved within two days, and customers were still able to pay by BACS during this time. The Online Payments Service's processes are monitored on an ongoing basis to look for errors, and tested with users to ensure they meet their needs. The anti-money laundering online system has a link entitled “Get help with this page” on each screen for any user experiencing difficulty. When the user follows this link they can send a message to the HMRC Digital Team who assess the problem and assign it for investigation. Customers are kept informed of progress throughout this process.

Pensions

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to sections 13 to 16 of the Pension Schemes (Transfers, Reorganisations and Winding Up) (Transitional Provisions) Order 2006, whether he plans to extend this provision to (a) members of the British Steel Pension Scheme and (b) other schemes where a regulated apportionment arrangement has been approved but which have not yet entered Pension Protection Fund assessment; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Order cited concerns the ability for individuals to maintain certain retirement age rights that arose before 6 April 2006 when their pension scheme is wound up and an annuity is being purchased, if certain conditions are met. Whether to offer those same rights is a matter for the annuity provider, and is not mandated by Government. The Government has no plans to change this arrangement.

Pensions: Tax Allowances

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse of tax relief on private pension contributions was in the last 12 months.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs published the cost of tax reliefs on pensions in the table titled: ‘Cost of Registered Pension Scheme Tax Relief’, which can be found in the link below. The latest information held is for 2015-16, with 2016-17 data due to be published in February 2018:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/registered-pension-schemes-cost-of-tax-relief

Taxation: Domicil

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individuals have been registered as non-domicile for tax purposes in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Mel Stride: The number of individuals registered as non-domicile for tax purposes for each of the last five tax years for which data is available are found in the table below: Tax YearNumber of Non-domiciled Taxpayers2010-11115,1002011-12113,2002012-13117,0002013-14119,8002014-15121,300 This information and further details on individuals who are not domiciled for tax purposes can be found in Table 1 of ‘Statistics on Non-domiciled Taxpayers in the UK,’ on the gov.uk website (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk).

Child Care Vouchers

Julie Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will postpone the deadline for closing childcare vouchers in April 2018 in the event that the Childcare Service IT system is not yet fully operational.

Julie Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) system and (b) running costs of tax-free childcare; and whether that estimate exceeds the original budget for such childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: The forecast cost of developing the childcare service for Tax-Free Childcare is within the agreed budget for the Tax-Free Childcare programme, which is £357m through to 2021/22.

Welfare Tax Credits

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken is to process joint claims for tax credit from the day of application to the day of payment in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: The average time taken to process joint tax claims, from the first point of receipt to the first day of payment, in the last 12 months was 30.31 days. The data is inclusive of both UK and International Claims. HMRC have a public target of processing claims and changes for tax credits and Child Benefit customers within an average of 22 days for UK customers and 92 days for International customers. Both targets are currently being achieved.

Child Benefit: Northern Ireland

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken is to process child benefit claims from the day of application to the day of payment in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs regularly track the overall processing times for new Child Benefit claims. However, the processing times for those claims received specifically from Northern Ireland are not readily available and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits: Northern Ireland

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in Northern Ireland have moved from a single tax credit claim to a joint tax credit claim in each of the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Child Care Vouchers: Northern Ireland

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are in receipt of childcare vouchers in Northern Ireland.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are in receipt of childcare vouchers in England.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are in receipt of childcare vouchers in Wales.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are in receipt of childcare vouchers in Scotland.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold this information. Childcare vouchers provided by employers are normally exempt from tax, therefore, employers are not required to report details to HMRC unless they provide more than the exempt amount to their employees.

Welfare Tax Credits: Divorced People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the equitable distribution of child benefits and tax credits between divorced parents.

Elizabeth Truss: For both Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit (CTC), the law provides for one person – the person mainly responsible for the child – to receive the payments. Where parents separate, it is possible for them to jointly agree for Child Benefit to be paid to one parent and CTC to the other, or for one of them to claim both payments and then pay an agreed proportion to the other parent. Where parents cannot agree who should receive Child Benefit and CTC and make rival claims, the decision about who is entitled to such support is taken by HM Revenue & Customs who consider all the facts in relation to each parent’s circumstances, based on the information provided by both parents. Entitlement will be awarded to the parent who appears to bear the greater responsibility of care.

Debts

Sir David Crausby: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on GDP of high levels of personal private debt.

Stephen Barclay: The Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that GDP will grow by 2.0% in 2017 and 1.6% in 2018 and Real Household Disposable Income per head is expected to be 2% higher by 2021 than in 2016. Household financial positions are stronger than before the financial crisis: net financial wealth as a share of income is close to record highs; debt to income is below pre-crisis levels; and debt interest payments to income are at a record low. The independent Financial Policy Committee, created by this government, has taken action on loan-to-income ratios and mortgage affordability to insure against the risk of a significant rise in highly indebted households.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol sales to reduce the effects of cheap alcohol on public health and crime levels.

Andrew Jones: The introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing in England and Wales remains under review. The Government awaits the outcome of the Scotch Whisky Association's decision to appeal the decision of the Scottish Courts and the impact of the implementation of this policy in Scotland.

Roadchef: Employee Benefit Trusts

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs has the discretion to reimburse the Roadchef Employee Benefits Trust's fund; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The administration of the tax system, including where appropriate the repayment of tax or duties, is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to comment on the affairs of specific taxpayers.

Credit Unions

Paul Masterton: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the promotion of credit unions as an alternative to pay day lenders.

Stephen Barclay: Credit unions play a key role in offering affordable, responsible credit to underserved communities. The Government has supported the sector in the following ways: Announcing at Autumn Statement 2016 that a greater proportion of funds recovered from illegal money lenders will be allocated to incentivise vulnerable people to join, save and borrow with a credit union instead of turning to loan sharks;Increasing the maximum interest rate that credit unions can charge on loans from 2% to 3%. This has helped credit unions become more stable and allowed them to offer reliable, affordable credit to consumers who may otherwise have had to resort to more expensive means;Contributing £600,000 to an initiative developed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Young Enterprise, to start savings clubs in primary schools and educate young children in the benefits of saving, while promoting awareness of credit unions to children and their parents. Lifesavers works with local credit unions to help run savings clubs in schools; andInitiating the Credit Union Expansion Project, a £38 million project aimed at helping the sector modernise and offer new services.

Children: Day Care

Paul Masterton: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Government is promoting the uptake of the tax-free childcare scheme to workers and parents in (a) the UK and (b) East Renfrewshire.

Elizabeth Truss: In March, the government launched the Childcare Choices website which brings together information about all the different help with childcare offered by the government – including Tax-Free Childcare. Since then, the Childcare Choices website has had more than one million unique users, and more than 700,000 people have completed the site’s Childcare Calculator to find out which government support best suits their circumstances. HMRC and DfE have worked together on a communications and engagement programme, including national, regional and social media, and communications through industry stakeholders. Parents who have signed up for ‘Keep Me Updated’ email updates on the new schemes are also being notified by direct email when they become eligible. HMRC officials have also attended promotional events across the UK with childcare providers, local authorities, parent groups and other childcare industry stakeholders. DfE and HMT ministers have undertaken visits to nurseries to promote Tax-Free Childcare, including one in East Renfrewshire where they spoke to them about their experiences of the scheme.

Overseas Trade

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide breakdowns of UK (a) exports to and (b) imports from the top five countries, as published in HM Revenue and Customs' Overseas Trade Statistics for each month since June 2012 adjusted to remove exports and imports of non-monetary gold from the data.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue & Customs is responsible for the collection of data on imports and exports of goods into the United Kingdom. The attached provides a breakdown of UK exports to, and imports from, the top five countries for each month since June 2012 by value adjusted to exclude exports and imports of non-monetary gold.



imports/exports
(Excel SpreadSheet, 36.88 KB)

Disadvantaged: EU Grants and Loans

Carolyn Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will guarantee a six year funding period for the Shared Prosperity Fund to provide disadvantaged communities with funding equivalent in real-terms to that currently provided by means of the European Social Fund.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government made a manifesto commitment to use the EU structural and investment fund money returning to the UK after the UK leaves the EU to create a UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The manifesto commitment pledged to consult widely ahead of an announcement on the design or scope of the fund. In October 2016 the Chancellor confirmed that HMT would guarantee funding for all multi-year ESIF projects signed ahead of the point at which the UK leaves the EU. Funding will be honoured provided that the relevant government department considers the project to provide good value for money and be in line with domestic strategic priorities.

Enterprise Investment Scheme

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how long on average it takes his Department to process advanced assurance applications to the Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has set performance targets to expedite the advanced assurance application process for social investment tax relief.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many social investment tax relief advanced assurance applications are pending.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how long on average it takes his Department to process advanced assurance applications for social investment tax relief.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) administers the tax-advantaged venture capital schemes: the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, Venture Capital Trusts and the Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) scheme. HMRC operates the same targets for all advance assurance applications and submissions of statutory compliance statements under the tax-advantaged venture capital schemes, and deals with around 12,000 cases each year. HMRC accepts around 70% of all advance assurance and compliance statements without any further enquiry. On 9 October 2017 HMRC had 25 SITR advance assurance applications on hand. HMRC aims to respond to all straightforward advance assurance applications received within 15 working days. The target for more complex cases is 40 working days. Cases may take longer to finalise depending on whether further information is needed. There is no standard length of time to process an advance assurance. Some application will require further clarification, additional information from an EIS company or a social enterprise. Others can be processed on the information supplied by the company or the social enterprise. HMRC attempts to process all applications as speedily as possible. The latest statistics on EIS, SEIS and SITR will be published on 31 October. These will include statistics on SITR investments and advance assurance applications received in 2014-15 and 2015-16. A consultation was held last year on ways to streamline the advance assurance service and a summary of responses was published in March. The documents can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tax-advantaged-venture-capital-schemes-streamlining-the-advance-assurance-service. HMRC will be providing an update on progress in due course. All available data related to the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts are available in the annual Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme Statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/enterprise-investment-scheme-and-seed-enterprise-investment-scheme-statistics-october-2016) and the Venture Capital Trusts Statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/venture-capital-trusts-statistics) publications.

National Savings and Investments: Child Trust Fund

Ronnie Cowan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons National Savings and Investments is closing applications to new customers for its five-year children's bonds.

Stephen Barclay: Children’s Bonds no longer meet the needs of NS&I’s customers. The Junior ISA, with its online access, higher investment limit and the option to migrate to an adult ISA at 18, better meets the needs of child savers today. NS&I customers who currently hold Children’s Bonds are unaffected and can continue to hold the product until it matures.

Personal Savings: Grandparents

Ronnie Cowan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to introduce a saving scheme to enable grandparents to save for their grandchildren.

Stephen Barclay: The government has introduced a range of measures to support savers, which can be used by grandparents who wish to save for their grandchildren. These include increasing the amount of money that people can contribute to ISAs to £20,000 and introducing an annual Personal Savings Allowance of up to £1,000 for basic rate tax payers and up to £500 for higher rate taxpayers. Thanks to these measures 98% of adults in the UK are currently paying no savings tax on the bank and building society interest and other savings income they receive. There are a range of savings products in which grandparents can deposit money for grandchildren, including Junior ISAs or Child Trust Funds which are a long-term, tax-free savings accounts for all children living in the UK. Parents or legal guardians can open a Junior ISA on behalf of their children. Any contributor – including grandparents – can deposit savings into accounts, up to the value of £4,128 a year. Once the child reaches 18 he or she will have full access to the savings pot. Grandparents can also purchase NS&I’s Premium Bonds for their grandchildren. Premium Bonds are entered into a monthly prize draw giving every owner of Bonds a chance of winning completely tax-free prizes. Until the child reaches 16, the nominated parent or guardian of the child will look after the Bond and any prizes won. Premium Bonds for grandchildren must be applied for by post.

Clinical Psychologists: Training

Deidre  Brock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether trainee clinical psychologists are eligible for tax and national insurance relief under the NHS Widening Access Training scheme.

Mel Stride: The tax treatment of trainee clinical psychologists will depend on the circumstances of their contract and the type of studies they undertake.

Consumer Information

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to ensure that effective guidance is available to consumers in respect of money, pensions and debt.

Stephen Barclay: The government is committed to ensuring that people have access to good-quality, free-to-client, impartial guidance on money, pensions and debt. The Financial Guidance and Claims Bill will create a new guidance body which will merge the functions of The Pensions Advisory Service, Pension Wise and the Money Advice Service. The single financial guidance body will simplify the existing public financial guidance landscape, making it easier for people to access information and guidance and help them make effective financial decisions.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many children have tax-free childcare accounts set up in their name.

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of tax-free childcare in 2017-18.

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the average income of (a) two parent and (b) one parent families who use tax-free childcare.

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many parents cannot currently access the money in their tax-free childcare account.

Elizabeth Truss: As of 11 October there were live Tax-Free Childcare accounts for over 155,000 children.The vast majority of parents are able to use their accounts to pay their childcare providers without any issues. Where a parent is unable to make a payment due to a technical issue, the helpline can make a payment to their childcare provider on the parent’s behalf. Since the start of September the childcare service have made 201 such payments, which is under 1% of the total payments made since the launch of the scheme.The forecast expenditure on Tax-Free Childcare was published by the Office for Budget Responsibility in March 2017 at http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/March2017EFO-231.pdfAnalysis of average parental income would exceed the cost limit for answering a Parliamentary Question.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the principal causes have been of the (a) late, (b) missing and (c) incorrect Real Time Information (RTI) submissions considered by the Late, Missing and Incorrect RTI project to date; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The vast majority of Real Time Information submissions are accurate and on time. However, a very small number of data quality issues create discrepancies and these can have an effect on an individual’s tax and benefits position. HMRC are currently reviewing these cases so as to better understand what causes late and incorrect data, and how they can then improve guidance and help to their customers.

Public Sector Debt

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the level of the public sector net debt by June 2022.

Elizabeth Truss: The current official forecasts produced by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility extend up to the financial year 2021-22. They forecast that public sector net debt (PSND) at the end of 2021-22 will be 79.8% of GDP, or £1.9tn. The Autumn Budget will include PSND forecasts for the financial year 2022-23.

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential number of businesses that will relocate to Northern Ireland as a result of the introduction of trading profits taxable at the Northern Ireland rate.

Mel Stride: While dependent on the rate established by a restored Northern Ireland Executive, the devolution of corporation tax rate-setting powers will allow Northern Ireland to compete more effectively for foreign direct investment, and encourage greater investment by companies already in Northern Ireland. Creating a stronger Northern Ireland economy will benefit the entire United Kingdom. The relevant Tax Information and Impact Notes can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/393521/TIIN_-_Corporation_Tax_-_devolution_of_rate-setting_power_to_Northern_Ireland.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/northern-ireland-rate-of-corporation-tax-changes-to-small-and-medium-sized-enterprise-regime/northern-ireland-rate-of-corporation-tax-changes-to-small-and-medium-sized-enterprise-regime

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of trading profits taxable at the Northern Ireland rate on UK tax revenues.

Mel Stride: The effect on UK tax revenues of devolving corporation tax rate-setting powers will depend on the rate set by the Northern Ireland Executive. Under the Stormont House Agreement, these powers will be commenced once a restored Northern Ireland Executive has demonstrated that its finances are on a sustainable footing. The Northern Ireland Executive block grant will be reduced to reflect the tax revenues foregone by the UK Government as a result of both direct and behavioural effects. The relevant Tax Information and Impact Notes can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/393521/TIIN_-_Corporation_Tax_-_devolution_of_rate-setting_power_to_Northern_Ireland.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/northern-ireland-rate-of-corporation-tax-changes-to-small-and-medium-sized-enterprise-regime/northern-ireland-rate-of-corporation-tax-changes-to-small-and-medium-sized-enterprise-regime

Taxation: Domicil

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse was of business investment relief in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016.

Mel Stride: As the external Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed, there is no cost to the public purse of Business Investment Relief. Foreign income invested using Business Investment Relief would otherwise have been left offshore and not subject to UK tax. The current amount that has been invested in the UK using Business Investment Relief is given in the table below: Tax YearTotal amount of investment2012-13£197m2013-14£549m2014-15£837m This information and further details on business investment relief can be found in Table 6 of ‘Statistics on Non-domiciled Taxpayers in the UK,’ on the gov.uk website (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk).

Taxation: Domicil

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received business investment relief in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016.

Mel Stride: The number of individuals that received business investment relief can be found in Table 6 of ‘Statistics on Non-domiciled Taxpayers in the UK,’ on the gov.uk website (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk).

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2017 to Question 9688, on Department for Work and Pensions: Behavioural Insights Team, what projects the Behavioural Insights Team worked on; and what estimate he has made of the value of each such project to the public purse.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. These services are commissioned locally by DWP managers without recourse to the central Commercial Team. Although spend is centrally recorded, together with the appropriate cost centre, the exact details of each associated project and the benefits arising are not. This request would require some research, extending over a number of years, to link each invoiced line item to a cost centre owner, and thence to whoever commissioned the work.

Universal Credit: Wirral

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by when he plans to extend the universal credit landlord portal to all social sector landlords operating in Wirral.

Damian Hinds: We are planning to invite the largest social rented sector landlords to enrol onto the UC Full Service Landlord Portal between October to December 2017. These will be in new areas that are commencing roll-out of the Universal Credit Full Service. We will shortly be inviting 5 landlords covering the Wirral area to enrol on the portal.

Jobcentres: Interviews

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of jobseekers' interviews with work coaches lasted (a) 10 minutes or less, (b) 20 minutes or less and (c) more than 20 minutes, in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is in the table.  Most recent 12 month periodInterventions lasting 10 minutes or less (volumes and proportion of total interventions) (a)Interventions lasting 20 minutes or less (volumes and proportion of total interventions) (b)Interventions lasting more than 20 minutes (volumes and proportion of total interventions) (c)Legacy BenefitsSeptember 2016 to August 20171,208,087 (33%)2,313,915 (64%)1,298,445 (36%)Universal CreditOctober 2016 to September 20172,262,870 (39%)3,578,995 (62%)2,183,959 (38%) NotesLegacy Benefits include Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support.Source of information for Legacy Benefits: Department for Work and Pensions Labour Market System (LMS).Source of information for UC Live Service: Department for Work and Pensions Work Services Platform (WSP).Activity associated with claimant interventions in UC Live Service areas is captured by Work Coaches to the Work Services Platform (WSP). Management information relating to the duration of interventions is not routinely collected. However, a data download on 09 October for the 12 months from October 2016 to Sep 2017 has produced both volumes and proportions of interviews that were recorded as “completed” within the parameters stated in the question.The calculations for the proportions of Jobseekers interventions to Work Coaches are as follows:5.1. Legacy Benefits5.1.1. Interventions lasting 10 minutes or less (1,208,087) divided by total number of interventions (3,612,360) is 33%.5.1.2. Interventions lasting 20 minutes or less (2,313,915) divided by total number of interventions (3,612,360) is 64%.5.1.3. Interventions lasting more than 20 minutes (1,298,445) divided by total number of interventions (3,612,360) is 36%.5.2. Universal Credit5.2.1. Interventions lasting 10 minutes or less (2,262,870) divided by total number of interventions (5,762,954) is 39%.5.2.2. Interventions lasting 20 minutes or less (3,578,995) divided by total number of interventions (5,762,954) is 62%.5.2.3. Interventions lasting more than 20 minutes (2,183,959) divided by total number of interventions (5,762,954) is 38%.The volume and proportion of interventions lasting 20 minutes or less will include those interventions lasting 10 minutes or less that form the response to part (a) of the question.Information on the actual duration of interventions is not currently collated centrally for UC Full Service and to extract this information would incur disproportionate costs.Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Jobcentres: Interviews

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on the setting of time limits for jobseekers' interviews with their work coaches.

Damian Hinds: Work Coaches working with their local managers are best placed to identify the support and guidance that is appropriate to each claimant to help them move in to work as quickly as possible. The length of the appointment and the number of times that a Work Coach sees a claimant is dependent upon which conditionality group they are placed in. As an example those claimants undertaking Intensive Work Search are required to attend mandatory face to face weekly interventions for the first 13 weeks of their claim Work Coaches have the flexibility to apply easements for attendance, for example: temporary absence to receive medical treatment,bereavement of partner or child,domestic Violence,child in distress,drug/alcohol dependent,carrying out public duty,periods of sickness,claimant in prison,witness protection

Jobcentres: Interviews

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus managers on setting time limits for jobseeker's interviews with work coaches.

Damian Hinds: The timing and frequency of attendance at jobseeker’s interviews is at the discretion of the Work Coach, working with their line manager, and also determined by the individual circumstances of the claimant.In order that interviews are monitored and the claimant journey tracked in the most effective way, managers follow a Quality Assurance framework with their work coaches.

Jobcentres: Closures

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations his Department has received on the effect of the closure of jobcentre plus offices on local communities.

Damian Hinds: DWP understands the potential impact that a closure or relocation of a Jobcentre may have and has engaged with stakeholders throughout the process from initial proposal to final decision. As Minister I have responded to all representations such as correspondence from individual customers and local groups, Trade Unions, requests for Westminster Hall debates and meetings with MPs and members from the devolved administrations. Our aim is to continue to maintain our services to claimants and will continue to support them throughout the changes in their Jobcentre location, taking into account their individual circumstances, including any health conditions, disabilities or caring responsibilities.

Universal Credit

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to halt the roll-out of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: Under Universal Credit people are moving into work faster and staying in work for longer, and by the time it is fully rolled out we project that around 250,000 more people will be in work. There are no plans to pause the rollout of Universal Credit and deny people the real improvements Universal Credit is delivering. On 09 October the Secretary of State made a topical statement to the House of Commons confirming that the rollout will continue to the planned timescale, gradually and sensibly.

Families: Disadvantaged

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2017 to Question 10205, whether the choice of the 40th percentile as a cut off point for comparing workless families with families with work on low incomes was based on prior research on (a) similarities in equivalised total household net income and (b) other similarities between these groups.

Caroline Dinenage: By comparing children in workless families to children in working families in the bottom 40 per cent of the income distribution (where income is equivalised total household net income), we can compare the risk of disadvantage and poorer outcomes for children who live in workless families to those who live in families in the lower end of the income distribution and are in work. The 40th percentile was selected to give a reasonable approximation of incomes between the two groups. While the incomes will not be exactly the same across the groups, the threshold provides a pragmatic approach to offering more insight into disadvantage and outcomes than an in work and out of work comparison only.

Families: Disadvantaged

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2017 to Question 10204, what proportion of children with (a) at least one parent reporting having a longstanding limiting illness or disability, (b) at least one parent reporting having poor mental health, (c) the household reports signs of problem debt and (d) all parents having low or no qualifications are in (i) workless families, (ii) families with work from the bottom 40 per cent of the income distribution and (iii) families with work from the top 60 per cent of the income distribution.

Caroline Dinenage: The data is presented below:   Workless familyWorking family (bottom 40% of the income distribution)Working family (top 60% of the income distribution)TotalAt least one parent has a longstanding limiting illness and/or disability27%36%37%100%At least one parent has poor mental health21%38%41%100%The household reports signs of problem debt21%50%29%100%Parents with low or no qualifications52%36%13%100%  Notes: The data above is based on the proportion of children with selected parental disadvantages by work status of parents. Income refers to equivalised total household net income. Source: Wave F of the Understanding Society Survey, 2014-2015, using a cross-sectional sample. The analysis in the “Improving lives: helping workless families analysis and research pack” showed 13% of children were in workless families in 2014-2015. The vast majority of children are in families that are in work, therefore the proportion of children with a selected parental disadvantage that are in working families is likely to be higher. This is why the Improving lives: helping workless families analysis compared the risk of parental disadvantages and poorer outcomes in workless families compared to children in working families, including children in a working family in the bottom 40% of the income distribution and children in a working family in the top 60% of the income distribution. This showed that the risk of experiencing these disadvantages is higher in workless families than in working families, including lower-income working families.

Personal Independence Payment: Complaints

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8827, on personal independence payments: complaints, how many of those cases were closed in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: In our response dated 13 September 2017 to Question 8827, we detailed the total number of complaints closed about Personal Independence Payment which were received by Hon. Members is 685, of which 54 were not responded to in 15 days. To provide a consistency in the information provided, we have used the same data set of closed complaints in the 16/17 operational year (April 2016 to March 2017) a) Of the complaints closed in 2016 (1 April – 31 December), 530 MP complaints were closed within the 15 day target and 45 were closed out of target: b) Of the complaints closed in 2017 (1 January – 31 March), 155 MP complaints were closed within the 15 day target and 9 closed out of target.

Personal Independence Payment: Complaints

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8827, on personal independence payments: complaints, how many cases are waiting to be heard; and how many of those cases have been referred by hon. Members.

Penny Mordaunt: In our response dated 13 September 2017 to Question 8827, we detailed the total number of complaints closed about Personal Independence Payment which were received by Hon. Members is 685, of which 54 were not responded to in 15 days. On 10 October 2017, our data shows, we currently have 70 open Personal Independence Payment complaints within our complaints community which are waiting to be heard (all less than 15 working days old). Of these 70 open complaints, one has been referred by Hon. Members.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8768, on Department for Work and Pensions: procurement, when his Department will make such detailed reporting available.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has being making efforts to manually report on Procurement timescales when possible. The Department is also working with its e-Procurement system supplier to scope the feasibility of a more automated and efficient reporting and the cost implications to ensure that the Department gets Value for Money. The Department does not have a timescale at this time currently.

Department for Work and Pensions: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8787, on Department for Work and Pensions: buildings, whether his Department receives any benefit from the sub-let of surrendered space to Telereal Trillium.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not receive any benefit from the sub-let of surrendered space to Telereal Trillium.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8833, on HM Revenue and Customs: staff, what pay scales the staff referred to are on.

Penny Mordaunt: HM Revenue and Customs members of staff do not work on processing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims, instead DWP has responsibility for processing PIP claims.There were no staff above Grade D working on processing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment he has made of the number and rate of sanctions applied to (a) universal credit and (b) legacy benefit claimants.

Damian Hinds: There are differences between sanctions policy in Universal Credit and other benefits. It is for this reason that the sanction rate in Universal Credit cannot be compared with the sanction rate in, for example, JSA. For instance, under JSA if a claimant fails to attend a Work Coach meeting, after 5 days without making contact they would have their claim terminated. Under Universal Credit these claimants are sanctioned – their standard allowance is reduced - but they continue to receive other elements that they are entitled to, which might cover children and housing amongst other things. Accordingly, the numbers of sanctions will appear higher in Universal Credit. However, the policy intent behind this difference is not to sanction more people but to ensure that all payment is not terminated, and that other elements continue to be in payment while we investigate the reason for the loss of contact with the claimant.

Employment and Support Allowance: Terminal Illnesses

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which terminal conditions mean that repeat assessments for employment and support allowance are not required.

Penny Mordaunt: Rather than setting out a list of specific medical conditions, the criteria to identify those for whom reassessments are no longer required, is based on identifying claimants with the most severe health conditions and disabilities, where it would be unreasonable to expect the individual to undertake any form or amount of work or work related activity. We already have support in place for ESA claimants who are diagnosed with a terminal illness, where as a consequence of that disease their life expectancy is reasonably believed to be six months or less. They will not need to have a face-to-face assessment, and will be treated as having limited capability for work-related activity and will be placed in the Support Group, where they are not required to take part in any work-related activity. We also have fast track rules which mean their claim must be processed as soon as possible, and they receive the higher rate of benefit immediately.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether tax credit claimants with three children or more will be classified as new claimants when they are migrated to universal credit.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the two-child limit will apply to existing tax credit claimants when they are migrated onto universal credit.

Damian Hinds: Claimants who migrate from Tax Credits to Universal Credit will have to make a new claim to Universal Credit. Tax Credit claimants with three children or more who migrate from Tax Credits to Universal Credit will continue to receive additional support for the same number of children or qualifying young persons, so long as they make a new claim to Universal Credit within six months of leaving Tax Credits and remain responsible for the same children or qualifying young persons.

Jobcentres: Staff

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches have been employed in jobcentres in each of the last three years; and what the ratio of work coaches to claimants has been in each of those years.

Damian Hinds: The information is in the tables. DateNumber of Legacy Work Coaches Employed in JobcentresRatio of Claimants to Legacy Work CoachesFebruary 201511,158346.0 to 1February 20168,844411.9 to 1February 201711,970290.0 to 1  DateNumber of Universal Credit Work Coaches Employed in JobcentresRatio of Claimants to Universal Credit Work CoachesApril 201555790.2 to 1April 20162,350108.8 to 1April 20173,696140.6 to 1  NotesLegacy Work CoachesSource of information for the number of Work Coaches: The Department’s Activity Based Management Models. The numbers of Work Coaches are expressed as Full Time Equivalents. Full Time Equivalent is the way the Department presents a total count of employees based on contracted hours worked in proportion to those hours of full time staff. Full Time Equivalent is the way staffing figures are presented in Departmental reports and workforce plans.Legacy Work Coaches support Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support claimants.Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.Source of information for the number Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support claimants to enable the calculation of the ratio of Work coaches to claimants: nomis (Office for National Statistics), a service providing detailed and up-to-date UK labour market statistics from official sources. The information on the numbers of people claiming these benefits is refreshed on a quarterly basis and the most recent quarter available is for February 2017. Universal Credit Work CoachesThe actual levels of deployment to roles including work coach is measured by manual inputs to the ABM system, indicating a % distribution of an individual’s time across a number of activity labels. This is measured month on month but in order to provide an indication of the relationship between work coach numbers and claimant caseload, a base month for each of the last 3 years has been selected for this response. For April 2017, the activity recorded in ABM against the various activity names associated with “work coach” not including “assistant work coach” translated to 3695.91 full time equivalent (FTE) staff across the month. The official statistical release for April 2017 reported a combined claimant caseload of 519.6k as of 13th April, including some 190k people in employment. That produces a work coach to claimant ratio of 140.6. Similar information is presented in the attached table for April 2016 and April 2015 but this would need to be viewed with caution and against a number of caveats. A like for like comparison with April 2017 should not be attempted for example, given that the work coach role and the ABM definitions which defined work coach activity and processes at any given time will have changed quite significantly over time. Work activity would also have been distributed variably across legacy and UC activity names to reflect the mix of work undertaken by work coaches at the time.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people repaying a universal credit advance are asked to repay within (a) three and (b) six months; how many of those people have other sums deducted from their monthly payment; and in how many of those cases that total deduction exceeds the maximum recommended amount.

Damian Hinds: Claimants choose the periods of repayment. Some 77% of claimants have chosen to repay in 6 months and 8% within 3 months. Deductions for arrears are made in a priority order and can never exceed 40% of the personal allowance.

Personal Independence Payment

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of regulations introduced earlier in 2017 to restrict access to personal independence payments (PIP) for some groups on take-up of PIP.

Penny Mordaunt: The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) amendment regulations were introduced to clarify the assessment criteria, restore the original aim of the policy and make sure we are giving the most support to those who need it most. The regulations did not represent a change in policy, hence there will be no impact on forecast take-up of PIP.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of reducing the pension age of women by one year back to the age of 66 from the 2017-18 tax year.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of reducing the pension age of women by two years back to the age of 65 from the 2017-18 tax year.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of reducing the pension age of women by seven years back to the age of 60 from the 2017-18 tax year.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of reducing the pension age of women by five years back to the age of 62 from the 2017-18 tax year.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of reducing the pension age of women by six years back to the age of 61 from the 2017-18 tax year.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of reducing the pension age of women by three years back to the age of 64 from the 2017-18 tax year.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of reducing the pension age of women by fours years back to the age of 63 from the 2017-18 tax year.

Guy Opperman: The State Pension age is currently 64 for women and 65 for men.The State Pension age is due to reach 67 for both genders by March 2028. We do not have an estimate of the cost of the state pension age of women being reduced to 61, 62, 63 or 64 from the 2017-18 tax year. This could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. In the longer-term we estimate that reducing the state pension age by one year compared to the legislated timetable might lead to an increase in expenditure on state pensions of around 0.3% of GDP. The Department has published a number of documents that could be used to provide illustrative estimates of the costs of some changes for some time periods. In terms of the cost of the state pension age of women being reduced to 60, the Department submitted written evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee in February 2016, producing an illustrative estimate of the costs of reversing the current legislated increases in women’s State Pension age until 2020/21 – i.e. keeping women’s State Pension age at 60 for women born in the 1950s. The illustrative estimate (illustrative as it was based on a number of high-level assumptions) indicated that it would cost £9.8 billion (in 2015/16 price terms) in the tax year 2017/18 were female state pension age to be 60 instead of the currently legislated state pension age in 2017/18, of between 63¾ and 64½. Keeping female State Pension age at 60 in 2020/21 would cost £14.3 billion (in 2015/16 price terms) compared to the legislated state pension age that year, of between 65¾ and 66. Keeping female State Pension age at 60 beyond 2020/21 would incur further costs. In terms of an estimate for the state pension age of women being reduced to 65, the impact assessment for the Pensions Act 2011 illustrates the estimated savings of bringing forward the rise in state pension age for both genders from 65 to 66 by five and a half years from 2024-26 to complete by October 2020. For example, in 2023/24, when State Pension age will be 66 under the legislated timetable, compared to 65 under the previous timetable, expenditure on state pensions is expected to be £5.9 billion lower (in 2011/12 price terms). Keeping female State Pension age at 65 beyond 2026 would incur further costs. For more information see: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181462/pensions-bill-2011-ia-annexa.pdf In terms of for the cost of the state pension age of women being reduced to 66, the impact assessment for the Pensions Act 2014 illustrates the estimated savings of bringing forward the rise in state pension age for both genders from 66 to 67 by eight years from 2034-36 to 2026-28. The Pensions Act 2014 was estimated to reduce expenditure on state pensions by £76.5 billion over the period 2026/27 to 2035/36 inclusive (in 2013/14 price terms). Keeping female State Pension age at 66 beyond 2036 would incur further costs. For more information see: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/310746/pensions-act-ia-annex-b-state-pension-age.pdf

Department for Work and Pensions: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has not had any major projects that require the procurement of iron and steel since the guidelines on delivering greater UK steel content were published in April 2016.

Jobcentres: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the cost-benefit analysis of Eastern Avenue Jobcentre closure.

Damian Hinds: We are not yet in a position to share any figures due to commercial confidentiality pending completion of legal processes. We expect to make savings by merging offices through reduced running costs and making best use of both office space available and taxpayer’s money.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of compensating women who have reached state pension age for losses caused by changes introduced in the Pension Acts 1995 and 2011 to their state pensions.

Guy Opperman: The Government will not be revisiting the State Pension age arrangements for women affected by the Pensions Act 1995 and Pensions Act 2011. These women will receive their State Pension either at the same age as men or earlier as we remove the current inequality, as set out in the 1995 & 2011 Acts. A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months. This concession benefited almost a quarter of a million women, who would otherwise have experienced delays of up to two years. A similar number of men also benefited from a reduced increase, and the concession was worth £1.1 billion in total.It is worth noting that the average woman who reached SPa post 2015 gets a higher state pension income over her lifetime than an average woman reaching SPa at any point before. Also, over a lifetime, the average woman who reached State Pension age in 2015 will still receive more than the average man in spite of the rise in women’s state pension age. Any amendment to the current legislation which creates a new inequality between men and women would unquestionably be highly dubious as a matter of law.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to achieve equitable transitional state pension arrangements for all women born in the 1950s affected by changes to state pensions introduced buy the Pensions Act 1995 and 2011.

Guy Opperman: The decision to equalise the State Pension age for men and women dates back to 1995 and addresses a longstanding inequality between men and women’s State Pension age. If State Pension ages had not been equalised, women would be spending 40% of their adult life in retirement and this proportion would be continuing to increase.The 2010-15 Government made the decision to bring in further changes to the State Pension age, following extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament. These changes were introduced in order to protect public finances and maintain the sustainability of the state pension over the long term. Life expectancy at age 65 increased by 5 years for men and almost 4 years for women in the 20 years to 2009. The 2011 Act accelerated the equalisation of women’s State Pension age by 18 months and brought forward the increase in men and women’s State Pension age to 66 by five and a half years, relative to the previous timetables. Failing to act in light of compelling demographic evidence would have been irresponsible and would have placed an unfair fiscal burden on the working population.A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months. This concession benefited almost a quarter of a million women, who would otherwise have experienced delays of up to two years. A similar number of men also benefited from a reduced increase, and the concession was worth £1.1 billion in total.This issue has been debated numerous times and numerous statements have already been made. Introducing further concessions cannot be justified given the imperative to focus public resources on helping those most in need.

Social Security Benefits: Mobile Phones

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department holds any information on the number of benefit recipients who have (a) monthly contract or (b) pay-as-you-go mobile phones; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: This information is not held by the Department.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of sanctioned benefits claimants who are (a) illiterate, (b) innumerate and (c) IT illiterate.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) what the average waiting time is for callers wanting to speak to an advisor calling the 0345 benefit advice line, (b) what the average time is that a caller spends speaking with an advisor and (c) what the average cost is for the caller of such a call.

Damian Hinds: There is no single specific 0345 benefit advice line. There are a number of 0345 lines that deal with benefit related enquiries or help. The average speed of answer and call duration for each of these lines is set out in the table below:  July - September 2017Average Speed of AnswerAverage Call DurationDLA Helpline00:02:2800:04:09DWP On-line Helpdesk00:00:4100:03:23ESA Enquiries00:12:0600:07:21JSA Enquiries00:05:1900:07:17IS Enquiries00:09:1500:05:43Jobcentre Enquiry Line00:03:0800:04:42PIP Enquiries00:02:5600:05:17  Calls to 0345 numbers cost no more than a standard geographic call, and count towards any free or inclusive minutes in a landline or mobile phone contract. When charges apply the costs are shown on the following web page for the Gov.uk site (www.gov.uk/call-charges) We are aware of possible concerns about call charges to our enquiry lines so we will offer to call a customer back if concerns are raised over the cost of the call. Notes:The data in the table covers the period July 2017 – September 2017. We have provided Average Speed of Answer and Average Call Duration for the 0345 lines that deal with benefit related enquiries or help.The Average Speed of Answer (ASA) measures the average customer wait time from the point of entering a queue to connection to an agent. This excludes any time spent in pre-queue messaging and any wait time for calls ultimately abandoned by callers. The Average Call Duration (ACD) is made up of inbound talk time, inbound hold time and inbound conference time divided by the number of calls answered. We have not included the 0345 Benefit Enquiry Line (English and Welsh) as there is no ASA or ACD information collated for this service line. Source:BT - Operational Management Information SystemBT - Historical Management Information Please note that the data in the table is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Third Sector: Advisory Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support his Department provides to the Third Sector to assist those people seeking benefit advice.

Damian Hinds: The Department does not provide financial support to the Third Sector to assist those people seeking benefit advice.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of those who are sanctioned are (a) illiterate, (b) innumerate and (c) IT illiterate.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Working Conditions: Temperature

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with trades union representatives on high temperatures in the workplace.

Penny Mordaunt: Whilst the Secretary of State has meetings with Trades Union representatives, there have been no discussions about high temperatures in the workplace. For information on the existing law and guidance on workplace temperature, I refer to a previous answer given by myself on the 9th September 2016 to Question UIN 44106

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current waiting time is for (a) a personal independence payment application to be processed, (b) an appeal against a decision to be actioned and (c) an appointment for a work capability assessment.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clearance times for both new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessed claims, can be found in tables 5 to 6 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-july-2017. The latest available data on Social Security and Child Support Tribunal (including appeals against a decision) can be found in table T1 to T3 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/644444/tribunal-and-GRC-main-tables-1718q1.xlsx. The latest available data on initial Employment Support Allowance (ESA) work capability assessment (WCA) clearance times, can be found in table 18 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/644478/tables-esa-wca-summary-sept-17.xls

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of employment and support allowance and personal independence payment assessments in dealing with issues experienced by those suffering from mental illnesses.

Penny Mordaunt: People claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will attend the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) to assess how their condition(s) affect their functional capability.Since ESA was introduced, we have made a number of changes to improve the assessment process for people with mental health conditions. We took forward a number of recommendations from Professor Harrington and Dr Litchfield who independently reviewed the WCA, including redesigning the ESA50 claimant questionnaire to make it clear that evidence from healthcare professionals and advocates is particularly valuable in mental health cases. More information regarding these independent reviews can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-1 The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment has been designed to reflect a modern understanding of disability, treating all conditions fairly and focussed on people who need it most. PIP also ensures parity between mental and physical conditions. It achieves this by looking at the overall needs of an individual, not which conditions they have. As a consequence of the introduction of PIP there are more people with mental health conditions receiving the higher rates of both PIP components than the DLA equivalents. We constantly look to review and improve the experience of claiming PIP and committed to two, statutory independent reviews as part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012. The latest of these reviews, led by Paul Gray, was published on 30 March 2017: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-pip-assessment-second-independent-review We are currently considering the review’s findings and plan to respond later this year.

Universal Credit: Internet

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are available to support those with limited (a) mental capacity, (b) literacy or (c) language skills to apply for universal credit on line.

Damian Hinds: DWP recognise that some people will need help with on-line claims and activity. People without digital skills will be offered support in jobcentres to make and manage their claims on-line, and also to acquire or improve core digital skills. Our work coaches have the flexibility to tailor support for individuals in difficult circumstances; they can adjust their work search requirements and conditionality to allow them to prioritise solutions to their issues. DWP has also rolled out the Universal Support initiative alongside the national roll out of Universal Credit, as part of which Local Authorities deliver both digital and budgeting support.Where claimants have no capability to make or manage their claim on-line, telephone, and face to face support is available. Alternatively, an Appointee could make the claim on their behalf and maintain their online account. Interpreting services are available in the Jobcentre for those with severe language challenges. As we continue to deliver the full Universal Credit service, with its expanded claimant base, we are continually reviewing and developing the current vulnerable claimant customer journey, including how vulnerable people are identified and how they are supported both internally and via referral to local services delivered in partnership activity.

Universal Credit

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants for universal credit have requested split payments on (a) any grounds and (b) the grounds of domestic abuse since the launch of universal credit in the pilot areas; and what proportion of the total number of applicants have so requested such split payments in each category.

Damian Hinds: The data requested is not available.

Local Housing Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the freezing of the rate of local housing allowance on the rate at which housing benefit recipients (a) fall into rent arrears and (b) become homeless.

Caroline Dinenage: The effect of the local housing allowance freeze on the rate at which housing benefit recipients fall into arrears and become homeless has not been assessed. There is currently no clear evidence to suggest that the LHA freeze is contributing to increased arrears or homelessness. The latest statistics show that the number of homelessness acceptances in England has decreased slightly over the past year and the figures are very similar to the homelessness acceptances when the freeze commenced.

Unemployment

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of children living in workless households.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of children living at workless households in the UK stood at 1.3 million in April–June 2017 – a record low – and down by over 600,000 since 2010.

Business: Disability

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support disabled entrepreneurs.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government provides schemes such as the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) that offers business mentoring and financial support to people, including those with disabilities, aged 18 and over and on eligible benefits, who want to start a business. Latest statistics (to end April 2017) show that around 1 in 4 (44,080) people who have participated in the NEA have declared a disability, with 23,120 of these progressing to set up a business. Access to Work can also help disabled entrepreneurs who are self-employed or running a small business, by providing a discretionary grant as a contribution towards extra disability related workplace costs, for example funding for support workers, travel costs, and aids and adaptations, subject to qualifying criteria being met. The Office for Disability Issues is engaging with external experts to explore the potential for collaborative work on events and initiatives to support entrepreneurs that are disabled. The recently launched OpenLab community and website links together entrepreneurs with ideas around disability and technology with big businesses and others who may be able to support them in progressing their innovations.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children in England have been affected by the (a) household benefit cap and (b) under-occupancy penalty in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: The information regarding the number of children in England who are (a) affected by the household benefit cap and (b) the removal of the spare room subsidy is published and available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Supported Housing: Housing Benefit

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has undertaken an equalities impact assessment of the proposed cap to housing benefit for people in supported housing.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has undertaken an Equality Assessment on the proposal to cap housing benefit at the Local Housing Allowance rates for people in supported housing.

Employment and Support Allowance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current mean time is for a claimant to apply, be assessed and receive their first ESA payment.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest available information on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) clearance times can be found in table 18 of the ESA Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments quarterly statistics published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment

Social Security Benefits: Domestic Violence

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training frontline staff of his Department and its outsourced companies receive on talking appropriately with claimants who are male victims of domestic violence.

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training frontline staff of his Department and its outsourced companies receive on talking appropriately with claimants who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training there is for frontline staff of his Department and its outsourced companies on talking appropriately with claimants who are victims of rape.

Caroline Dinenage: All Department for Work and Pensions staff working with customers complete training that prepares them for the role, including the skills they need to support and communicate with a diverse range of customers. Specific training is provided for different vulnerable groups, with guidance to signpost customers to relevant support, including for former members of the armed forces and people who have been the victim of abuse or domestic violence. The Department shares its training with external providers.

Social Security Benefits: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department made when preparing its benefit assessment process of the potential detrimental effects of that process on claimants suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Penny Mordaunt: We have consulted and engaged widely, and continue to do so, with disabled people, carers and representative organisations, to ensure the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) assessment processes work smoothly and efficiently for all claimants, regardless of their condition or disability. We do recognise that attending a face-to-face assessment can be a stressful experience for some people, which is why we do not carry out such consultations where there is enough existing evidence to carry out a paper-based assessment. Where a face-to-face consultation is required, we encourage claimants to bring another person with them to consultations where they would find this helpful to, for example, reassure them or to help them during the consultation. The person chosen is at the discretion of the claimant and might be, but is not limited to, a parent, family member, friend, carer, or advocate. Health Professionals are medically qualified professionals and as such, they have the appropriate skills to enable them to deal with people in a supportive and sensitive way. Specific condition insight reports on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are now available to all health professionals working for our Assessment Providers.

Universal Credit

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the minimum six week wait for successful claims of universal credit on (a) families and (b) other claimants over the Christmas 2017 period as part of his Department's planning for full-rollout of universal credit from 29 November 2017 in (i) Brighton and Hove and (ii) other areas; if he will make it his policy to suspend the full roll-out of universal credit  in (A) Brighton and Hove and (B) other areas where the six week wait falls over the Christmas period; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: Payments

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons his policy on universal credit payment advances changed on 2 October 2017.

Damian Hinds: The Secretary of State has made changes to the Universal Credit Advance payments policy to improve awareness of and access to advances, and to ensure support is available to those who need it.

Universal Credit: Payments

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's target on maximum claimant waiting times for receipt of universal credit payment advances was before 2 October 2017 for (a) new universal credit claims, (b) universal credit benefit transfer claims and (c) change of circumstance claims.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average times were between application for and receipt of universal credit payment advances for (a) new universal credit claims, (b) universal credit benefit transfer claims and (c) change of circumstances claims in each of the last six months.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on waiting times for universal credit payment advances for (a) new universal credit claims, (b) universal credit benefit transfer claims and (c) change of circumstances claims.

Damian Hinds: Universal Credit advances are processed at the point at which they are requested. However, information on the time taken between application for and receipt of universal credit payment advances is not routinely recorded. Therefore, results could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Payments

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints his Department received in relation to the delay to a payment of benefit owing to the lack of an appropriately trained healthcare professional in the latest period for which figures are available.

Penny Mordaunt: The DWP complaints system does not collect information at this level of detail. All assessments are carried out by appropriately trained health care professionals.

Employment and Support Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will request from the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments the details of how many claimants have requested a recorded employment and support allowance assessment.

Penny Mordaunt: Information on the number of claimant requests for recording Employment and Support Allowance assessments is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much revenue has been generated by (a) universal credit and (b) other benefit helplines in each of the last five years or for as long as they have been in operation if less than five years; and whether that revenue has been retained for use by his Department or made use of elsewhere in Government.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not make any profit from its 0345 telephone numbers.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) lowest, (b) average and (c) highest cost incurred by claimants calling the universal credit helpline was in the last 12 months for which data is available.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not available.

Long Term Unemployed People: Training

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training or schemes are offered by his Department to support older, long-term unemployed people.

Damian Hinds: Jobcentre Plus work coaches have the flexibility to offer all claimants, including older people, a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long term unemployed can access back to work support. For claimants who are disabled and people with health conditions, a new Personal Support Package is being introduced which will ensure they receive tailored support to meet their individual needs. Jobcentres also have the freedom to innovate approaches to help older people. Examples of approaches currently being used in some Jobcentre districts across the country include training in interview techniques, sector based work academies, pre-employment training, work experience, skills in IT to enable them to search and apply for jobs online, and access to conversion courses to help in converting outdated or obsolete qualifications into modern certifications. There are a number of training opportunities in Birmingham and Solihull district, for example, training for LGV drivers, ‘prepare for work’ course aimed at customers aged 50 and over which covers IT, CV writing, Mind-set and preparation for work. DWP is evaluating the sector based work academy and work experience offer to older claimants. Research findings published in 2017 showed that both programmes can be effective in helping older claimants overcome age related and other barriers to work and support claimants to move closer to the labour market. An associated impact assessment will be published in 2018.Fully-funded training from the adult education budget forms a key part of the support available to benefit claimants under the Jobcentre Plus offer of support. This offers tailored provision to the demands of the labour markets; this includes vocational training and qualifications if required to obtain work in a new industry.

Long Term Unemployed People: Training

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who are long-term unemployed have been identified as requiring additional training; and what steps his Department is taking to provide such training.

Damian Hinds: 383,000 people in the UK have been unemployed for 12 months or more, down 405,000 since 2010, but statistics are not available on how many of these people require additional training. Jobcentre Plus work coaches can advise claimants on the localised provision and support available, either by employment sector or skills/employability. For claimants who are disabled and people with health conditions, a new Personal Support Package has been introduced which will ensure they receive tailored support to meet their individual needs.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date the dedicated team to assist with complaints from women adversely affected by an increase in the state pension age will commence work; what the timetable will be for complaints to be dealt with by that team; and how the outcome of the investigation of that complaint will be communicated to the complainant.

Guy Opperman: The Independent Case Examiner (ICE) office has recently set up a team dedicated to investigating complaints from women affected by the increase in the state pension. The team became operational on 2 October 2017. Their aim is to complete an investigation within 20 weeks of the case being allocated for investigation, with the outcome being communicated directly to the complainant in a report from the Independent Case Examiner.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made in the roll-out of the Youth Obligation programme for those claiming universal credit.

Damian Hinds: We introduced the Youth Obligation, as planned, on 26 April 2017 into the 49 jobcentres operating the Universal Credit full service at the time. 18-21 year olds who make a new claim to Universal Credit full service and are in the All Work Related Requirements Conditionality group will receive intensive work-focused Youth Obligation support from the first day of their claim. We are rolling out Youth Obligation at the same time as we deliver the Universal Credit Full Service into our jobcentres. The Youth Obligation is now available in 124 Jobcentres.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department for Exiting the European Union is committed to ensuring that we access the very best scientific expertise. We have actively considered the best way of achieving this and have appointed Chris Jones, Director for Justice Security and Migration (JSM) as Chief Scientific Adviser. We have taken the decision to appoint a Chief Scientific Advisor to ensure that departmental decisions are informed by the best science and engineering advice and to provide a route for us to engage directly with the wider network of Chief Scientific Advisers where necessary.

Research

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what representations he has made to other EU member states on UK collaboration with EU research programmes after the UK has left the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what representations the Government has received from UK nationals who work as researchers in other EU countries on UK collaboration with EU research programmes after the UK has left the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what representations the Government has received from researchers from other EU countries on UK collaboration with EU research programmes after the UK has left the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We are speaking to a wide range of stakeholders to establish their priorities and understand their concerns. These discussions will and have informed our negotiating position, and we stand ready to discuss it with our EU partners at any stage.Internationally, the UK Government actively engages with stakeholders at all levels. Our Ministers and officials are regular participants in EU and global fora. As a centre of research excellence, the UK frequently hosts global science and research experts.Ministers from the Department for Exiting the EU have had several meetings with other Ministers from EU member states. These discussions set out the deep and special partnership that we are seeking with the EU.

Research

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what role he plans for UK universities and national academies to have in negotiations on UK collaboration with EU research programmes after the UK has left the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with Scottish universities and the Royal Society of Edinburgh on a future UK-EU science research framework.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions the Government has had with UK universities and national academies on the content of that paper.

Mr Robin Walker: We have pursued a wide-ranging programme of engagement, with both business and civil society stakeholders, since the Department was created, in order to hear and understand concerns.As part of this, we’ve met a number of higher education institutions and groups, including Universities from Scotland and across the UK. I recently visited the University of Dundee alongside Lord Ian Duncan, and have also visited the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow.The Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy hosts a Stakeholder Working Group on EU Exit, Universities, Research and Innovation that I attend on a regular basis.Membership of the Group includes representatives from higher education, research and innovation funders, national academies, learned societies and business from around the UK.The Government will work closely with the devolved administrations, including the Scottish Government, on the detail of proposals for collaboration with the EU on science and innovation, to ensure their priorities are taken into account.

European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, whether it is his policy to request UK membership of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: As set out in the Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, the UK will look to build on its unique relationship with the EU and establish an agreement on science and innovation that ensures the valuable research links between us continue to grow. This will deliver shared UK and European prosperity, and social, environmental and health benefits.The UK would like to work with the EU on designing this agreement, and would welcome a full and open discussion about all of the options for continued collaboration, including options for UK participation in EU programmes, agencies and other bodies such as the aforementioned European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7994, on Department for Exiting the European Union: secondment, from which departments the 350 staff have been seconded from; and how many such staff were seconded from each Department; and on which civil service payscale level such staff are.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union is continuing to recruit the brightest and the best from across the civil service, the wider public sector and the private sector. Numbers are regularly changing and our aim is to have a streamlined Department, while hiring in the right skills and experience to get the best outcome for the UK.The attached document shows the number of staff on loan from departments as of September 2017.



DExEU Data of Staff on Loan
(PDF Document, 51.26 KB)

Department for Exiting the European Union: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2017 to Question 10041, how many secondments from outside the Government into his Department occurred in the first 12 months of his Department's existence.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department is continuing to recruit the brightest and the best from across the civil service, the wider public sector and the private sector. Between July 2016 and July 2017 the Department had 17 secondees from outside of Government.

Personal Records: Data Protection

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, whether it is his policy to refrain from entering any UK-EU model for exchanging and protecting personal data if the framework requires oversight from the European Court of Justice.

Mr Robin Walker: As we leave the EU, we will bring an end to the direct jurisdiction of the CJEU. Of course the CJEU will continue to interpret EU law and to be the ultimate arbiter of EU law within the European Union, just as our domestic courts will interpret UK law and the UK Supreme Court will be the highest court in the UK. We will respect the internal judicial processes of the EU just as we respect the internal judicial processes of our other international partners.As stated in the future partnership paper, The exchange and protection of personal data, the UK starts from an unprecedented point of alignment with the EU and wants to explore a UK-EU model for exchanging and protecting personal data.

Cancer: Research

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to ensure that institutions in the UK are able to recruit and retain international cancer researchers after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: To retain the UK’s position as a world leader in research and innovation we recognise that the UK needs to continue to attract the brightest and best with high level skills who can support the research and innovation sector.On 6 September the government published Collaboration on science and innovation - a future partnership paper, which is intended to start a full and open discussion with the EU about all of the options for continued collaboration. The UK will look to build on its unique relationship with the EU and establish an agreement on science and innovation that ensures the valuable research links between us continue to grow. The UK would like to work with the EU on designing this agreement, and would welcome a full and open discussion about all of the options for continued collaboration, including options to facilitate the mobility of researchers engaged in cross-border collaboration.We have already taken steps to recruit and retain the best international researchers by committing to invest over £100 million over the next four years to attract the brightest minds to the UK.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure (a) transparency and (b) parliamentary scrutiny of all trade deals concluded by the UK after exiting the EU.

Greg Hands: As always, Parliament has a vital role to play in the scrutiny of trade agreements. In the recently published White Paper ‘Preparing for our future UK trade policy’ the government committed to a transparent and inclusive process and we welcome feedback on this.The Department for International Trade is engaging widely with Parliament and a number of stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations and civil society organisations, to inform our approach to trade as we prepare to leave the EU.

Healthcare UK

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the annual budget is of Healthcare UK.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the establishment costs were of Healthcare UK.

Mark Garnier: The annual budget for Healthcare UK in 2017-18 is £4,521,732. This is jointly funded by the Department for International Trade (DIT), the Department of Health, NHS England, and the Ministry of Defence Gulf Strategy.Healthcare UK was set up in January 2013 prior to the formation of DIT, which does not hold records on the costs of its establishment.

Trade Agreements: India

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2017 to Question 6797, whether India indicated during discussions on the trade relationship between the UK and India that the Government would have to relax immigration rules with India for a future trade deal to be agreed.

Greg Hands: Our discussions with India through our joint trade review have been wide-ranging and covered many aspects of our trading relationship. The review is principally an analytical project to understand our bilateral trading relationship, rather than a formal negotiation. As such, immigration rules have not been raised as a pre-requisite for further trade talks.

Department for International Trade: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 10040, how much of the amount paid in exit schemes in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 was paid to (i) men and (ii) women.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) came to existence in July 2016.DIT’s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) details the total paid in exit packages in 2016-17 and those paid under UK Trade and Investment (one of DIT’s predecessor organisations) in 2015-16.Further information can also be found in the ARA on page 48 and 49:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-international-trade-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017Of the total exit packages paid in the ARA, covering 2015/16 and 2016/17, 49% was paid to men and 51% to women.

Department for International Trade: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8761, on Department for International Trade: procurement, which two contracts took over three months to procure; which contract took over six months to procure; and which contract took over one year to procure.

Greg Hands: The two contracts that took longer than three months to procure are:‘Astana Expo 2017 Concept & Developed Design’, which focused on delivering comprehensive design services for the UK Pavilion, at the Astana EXPO 2017 in Kazakhstan.‘The Provision of Generalist and Specialist Interim Services’, which supports the Department for International Trade’s operations in the UK and globally, by fulfilling interim roles and transitioning contractors from multiple legacy agreements to the new agreement.The contract that took over six months to procure is ‘Astana Expo 2017 Design & Build’, which was to provide the technical design, fabrication, construction and installation and provide a single point of contract for the design and build of the UK Pavilion at the Astana EXPO 2017 in Kazakhstan.The contract that took over twelve months to procure is ‘Event Management Services’, which is for the design and delivery of innovative and market-leading events.

UK Export Finance: Small Businesses

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to access UK Export Finance resources.

Greg Hands: As announced by my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade in July, small businesses can now access government-backed export finance directly from their banks. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has partnered with the five major high street banks to provide small and medium-sized enterprises quicker and easier access to its support. Businesses are now able to access UKEF’s support directly from their bank without the need to apply separately. At the same time, businesses that do not yet sell overseas, but supply exporters that do, will also be able to access UKEF’s support, spreading the benefits of trade to smaller businesses across the UK.

Trade Agreements: Rules of Origin

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he is having with (a) South Africa and (b) other countries that have an existing Free Trade Agreement with the EU on rules of origin or originating content issues arising from the UK's exit from the EU.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will take steps for the UK to have third-party membership of existing EU Free Trade Agreements to comply with rules of origin requirements.

Greg Hands: We are currently working with existing EU trading partners, including South Africa, to ensure that where preferential trading agreements are in place, arrangements are made that will allow maximum possible continuity in the effect of these agreements, when the UK leaves the EU. This is a technical exercise to ensure continuity in existing trading arrangements.In this regard, we are engaging with trading partners to understand mutually beneficial options for ensuring the greatest continuity. Rules of Origin, as a key element of trade agreements, form an important part of this ongoing engagement.

Overseas Trade: USA

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress the Department is making on an equivalency agreement for trade in organic products with the US after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: The UK-US Trade and Investment Working Group, which was launched in July, is dedicated to strengthening the bilateral trade and investment relationship. These discussions with the US are at an early stage and it is too soon to go into the specifics of what position the UK might take in individual areas. However, we are committed to securing mutually beneficial economic arrangements with the US that will benefit UK companies and consumers. This includes ensuring continuity for business and UK industries after leaving the EU.

Overseas Trade: Cyprus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his Cypriot counterpart on increasing (a) imports to and (b) exports from Cyprus after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Garnier: There have not as yet been any official discussions between my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and Cypriot counterparts on increasing imports to and exports from Cyprus after the UK leaves the EU.However, as Cyprus is a longstanding and valued trading partner of the UK - regional representatives from the Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office meet on a regular basis with Cypriot stakeholders to discuss ongoing business and government; ways of improving and expanding ongoing trade relations and the deep friendship between our two countries.

Overseas Trade: Burma

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the value was of trade between the UK and Myanmar in each year from 2008.

Mark Garnier: The value of trade between the UK and Burma in each year from 2008 to 2015 is provided in tables 10 to 13 of the ONS Pink Book 2016 release:https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/adhocs/006656balanceofpaymentsannualgeographicaldatatablesFigures for 2016 will be published on 31st October in the ONS Pink Book 2017 release.

Higher Education: Exports

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has been made of the role of higher education exports in future free trade deals.

Mark Garnier: This Government recognises the valuable contribution made by Higher Education (HE) exports to the UK economy and we shall be engaging with the HE sector as we develop future trading arrangements. Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade.In 2014 (the latest figures), the total value of UK education-related exports and Transnational Education (TNE) activity was estimated to be £18.76 billion, an increase of 18 per cent over 2010 in current prices.HE exports were estimated at £12.43 billion in 2014, an increase of around 30% over 2010 in current prices. This figure rises to an estimated £12.98 billion if HE related TNE activity, valued at around £550 million, is included.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants of her Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been (a) seconded outside of government and (b) seconded in from outside of government since her Department was established.

Matt Hancock: DCMS participates in the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) scheme, which is part of Cabinet Office. In the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), one civil servant is part of the Government Commercial Organisation. The individual has not been seconded outside Government, as part of GCO, and was not seconded in.

Equifax

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to improve protection for people's private data and finances as a result of the Equifax data breach.

Matt Hancock: The cyber security of the UK, including the protection of our citizens and their data online, is a top priority for the Government. Since the Equifax incident, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Crime Agency, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Information Commissioner’s Office have worked together to protect British citizens who may have been affected by the data breach. The NCSC has published updated advice on its website, advising members of the public on password re-use, avoiding related phishing emails and fraudulent phone calls, as well as giving information of how to report a cyber incident to Action Fraud. In addition, as part of our five-year, £1.9 billion National Cyber Security Strategy, the Government is working to ensure all organisations are secure online and resilient against cyber threats. Under the existing Data Protection Act, organisations must ensure appropriate cyber security measures are in place to protect personal data. Our new data protection regime, introduced through the Data Protection Bill, will introduce new requirements for reporting data breaches and more stringent fines.

Information Commissioner: Credit Reference Agencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of meetings that have taken place between staff of the Information Commissioner's Office and credit rating agencies during the last two years.

Matt Hancock: We do not hold information on the number of meetings the Information Commissioner and her staff hold with credit rating agencies or other organisations. The Information Commissioner's Office do publish the minutes and papers of meetings on their website, which can be found at https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/our-information/minutes-and-papers/.

BBC Parliament: Hearing Impairment

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will ensure that subtitles are always available on the BBC Parliament television channel.

Matt Hancock: This is an operational matter for the BBC. However, the BBC has made a commitment to provide subtitles for 100% of scheduled live House of Commons coverage by 2019 and has met this target since September 2016. Subtitles are also provided for a proportion of the House of Lords coverage and of Select Committees.

Equifax: Disclosure of Information

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made representations to Equifax on UK citizens' requests for information relating to the inappropriate leaking of their personal data.

Matt Hancock: We take the security of personal data held by organisations very seriously and are addressing the Equifax data breach and its consequences for UK customers. The National Cyber Security Centre and partners including the National Crime Agency, Information Commissioner and Financial Conduct Authority, are all engaged with Equifax to examine this incident and any appropriate action will be taken.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 10046, how much of the amount paid in exit payments in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 for Core Departmental and Agency staff and (c) 2016-17 for departmental group staff was paid to (i) men and (ii) women.

Matt Hancock: No exit payments were paid to core departmental staff in the 2015-16 year. In 2016-17, six exit payments were made. 57.7% of the value of exit payments for core departmental staff was paid to women and 42.3% of the value was paid to men. The information requested for departmental groups by gender in not held centrally and to obtain it would incur a disproportionate cost.

Big Lottery Fund: Olympic Games 2012

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether repayments of outstanding funds received from the Big Lottery Fund to finance the London Olympic Games in 2012 attract interest.

Tracey Crouch: The terms of repayments to National Lottery distributors were set out in an agreement between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Greater London Authority in 2012, which I attach. These repayments will not attract interest.

Arts: EU Grants and Loans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7068, how much EU funding the UK creative sector received in each of the last three years; and what the regional distribution of that funding was.

Matt Hancock: The UK's creative sector benefits from a range of EU schemes such as Creative Europe, Erasmus+, the Economic Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). The Government does not hold information on all EU funding by sub-sector. We are working closely with stakeholders to ensure that our ongoing funding commitments best service the UK’s interests.

Bookmakers: Competition

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assurances her Department secured in 2011 on the longevity of on-site bookmakers after the sale of the Tote to Betfred.

Tracey Crouch: The provision of on-site bookmakers at racecourses is a commercial matter for the racing and betting industries. Racegoers have access to a variety of betting options at the racecourse including fixed odds betting provided by on-course bookmakers at the side of the track, pool betting provided at the racecourse and online betting via smartphones.

Gambling: Children

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with organisations in the gaming industry on games replicating gambling activities being available to children.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with children's organisations on the effect of games that replicate gambling activities.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on teaching children about the dangers of playing online games that encourage them to gamble.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making gaming applications with in-app purchase facilities only accessible to adults requiring age verification.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of age-gaming applications that replicate gambling activities in order to stop children accessing such applications.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of publishing advice for parents and carers on the potential dangers of young people playing online games that encourage them to gamble.

Tracey Crouch: The government's Internet Safety Strategy considers options for working with the online video games industry to improve video gaming safety. The government is committed to working with industry and others to promote awareness and understanding of parental controls and advice on safe video gaming. We are committed to ensuring that consumers are properly protected and that children’s vulnerability and inexperience is not exploited in commercial practices related to in-app purchases. We welcomed the Competition and Market Authority’s investigation and subsequent guidance for games publishers setting out what they need to do to comply with the relevant consumer protection regulations. Additionally, in June 2015 the Authority published advice for parents and carers on children’s use of online and app-based games, setting out what steps to take to control the additional features a child can purchase in online and app-based games. The Gambling Commission issued a discussion paper in 2015 regarding regulation of social video games which received a number of responses from industry, academia and other interested parties. The Commission concluded, in March 2017, that there is no compelling reason to impose additional regulation on social video games given that it is subject to extensive consumer protection legislation. The Commission continue to monitor developments within the social casino sector gathering evidence from a variety of sources, and working in partnership with the industry and other regulators. The Gambling Commission’s expert advisers, the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board, are also examining the wider relationship between children and gambling. The VSC Rating Board is our designated body for classifying video games and applies the Europe-wide PEGI ratings to video games supplied in the UK. The PEGI criteria currently makes provision for games depicting simulations of traditional gambling and such games would generally attract a minimum PEGI 12. However, the VSC Rating Board is discussing these issues with the PEGI Council and its Experts Group to determine whether any changes to the PEGI criteria need to be made.

Royal Naval Museum: Hartlepool

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will visit the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Hartlepool.

John Glen: As Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, I would be delighted to visit the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Hartlepool, subject to diary commitments. Hartlepool has a fantastic maritime and industrial heritage and the museum plays an important role in telling the story of the North East’s contribution to Royal Navy heritage.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 October 2017 to Question 7507 on cyber skills, with which organisation and representatives her officials have (a) met and (b) sought advice from.

Matt Hancock: DCMS has ongoing and frequent engagement on cyber skills with a wide range of organisations including cyber security training providers, cyber and non-cyber businesses, academia and professional organisations. A number of the primary stakeholder groups we regularly engage with on DCMS Cyber Security CNI Apprenticeships scheme and the Cyber Schools Programme can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cyber-security-cni-apprenticeships and https://hmgcyberschools.com/. In addition we engage with various professional bodies in the cyber security sector, while officials also work closely with government partners, including the National Cyber Security Centre, to utilise their extensive networks across the cyber security sector.

Gambling: Video Games

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the Isle of Man's enhanced protections against illegal and in-game gambling and loot boxes; and what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on adopting such protections in the UK.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to help protect vulnerable adults and children from illegal gambling, in-game gambling and loot boxes within computer games.

Tracey Crouch: The Gambling Commission released a position paper in March 2017 detailing existing protections in place for in-game gambling, virtual currencies and loot boxes. The paper can be found on the Commission’s website at the following link: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/Virtual-currencies-eSports-and-social-casino-gaming.pdf Where items obtained in a computer game can be traded or exchanged outside the game platform they acquire a monetary value, and where facilities for gambling with such items are offered to consumers located in Britain a Gambling Commission licence is required. If no licence is held, the Commission uses a wide range of regulatory powers to take action. Protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling is one of the core objectives of the regulation of gambling in Great Britain and a priority for the government. The Gambling Commission have a range of regulatory powers to take action where illegal gambling is taking place. Earlier this year the Gambling Commission successfully prosecuted the operators of a website providing illegal gambling facilities for in-game items which was accessible to children - the first regulator in the world to bring such an action. The government recognise the risks that come from increasing convergence between gambling and computer games. The Gambling Commission is keeping this matter under review and will continue to monitor developments in the market.

Bookmakers: Competition

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on competition of the decision by Betfred to close on-site bookmakers at UK racecourses.

Tracey Crouch: The provision of on-site bookmakers at racecourses is a commercial matter for the racing and betting industries. Racegoers have access to a variety of betting options at the racecourse including fixed odds betting provided by on-course bookmakers at the side of the track, pool betting provided at the racecourse and online betting via smartphones.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress her Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Matt Hancock: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has does not carry out any function requiring the procurement of steel.

Film: North East

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the film industry in (a) the North East and (b) Northumberland.

Matt Hancock: Between 2012 and March 2017, the British Film Institute, as the Government's lead agency for film, invested approximately £4.16 million of public funding across the whole of the North East. This investment included £171,000 of public funding for festivals, skills development, audience development and filmmaking in Northumberland. The extracurricular club 'Into Film' reaches nearly 150,000 children of school age across the North East, nurturing the next generation of talent and audiences.

BBC: Equal Pay

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has made to the BBC on its gender pay gap.

Matt Hancock: Ministers have regular discussions with the Director General on a range of topics including BBC presenter’s salaries.

Personal Records: Data Protection

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what discussions the Government has had with the Scottish Government on the proposed UK-EU model for exchanging and protecting personal data.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership, published on 24 August 2017, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the proposed UK-EU model for exchanging and protecting personal data.

Matt Hancock: The Government has been clear from the start that the devolved administrations should be fully engaged in our exit from the EU. The Government’s recent paper: The exchange and protection of personal data - a future partnership paper, and others provide a basis for further discussion, including with the devolved administrations, on the future partnership the UK wants to build with the EU. We have shared papers in advance with the devolved administrations and provided technical briefings ahead of publication. Ministers and officials regularly meet with their counterparts at the Scottish Government to discuss a range of matters, including on the future partnership between the UK and the EU.

Personal Records: Data Protection

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what economic assessment has been made of the effect on UK firms and consumers of negotiations with the EU failing to provide a UK-EU model for exchanging and protecting personal data.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, whether it is her policy to maintain the UK's alignment with EU data protection law after the UK leaves the EU irrespective of how EU data protection law changes in the future.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, whether it is her policy to secure a UK-EU model for exchanging and protecting personal data which can not in the future be declared invalid by the European Court of Justice.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on UK GDP of UK-EU data flows being disrupted by the UK leaving the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what plans her Department has made to address the effect on UK GDP of UK-EU data flows being disrupted by the UK leaving the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what representations the Government (a) has made and (b) received from EU data protection adequate countries on retaining free data transference between those countries and the UK.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what economic assessment the Government has made on the removal of free data transference between the UK and EU data protection adequate countries after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, whether the Government plans to grant all third counties designated by the EU as data protection adequate the same status from the UK; and on what basis such a decision will be made.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what plans her Department has to keep UK data protection rules aligned with those of the EU following withdrawal beyond Convention 108.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what plans the Government has to support industry in the event of the removal of free data transference between the UK and EU data protection adequate countries after the UK leaves the EU.

Matt Hancock: I refer the Hon member to the responses I gave in the Chamber during the Leaving the EU: Data Protection debate on Thursday 12 October.

Personal Records: Data Protection

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, The exchange and protection of personal data: a future partnership paper, published on 24 August 2017, what representations she has received from civil society organisations on the proposed UK-EU model for exchanging and protecting personal data.

Matt Hancock: The Department continues to engage with stakeholders from a wide range of sectors including civil society on key aspects of data policy.

Broadband: Business

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many businesses have benefited from the Better Broadband Scheme in (a) Scotland and (b) each local authority area.

Matt Hancock: The Better Broadband Scheme is available to all homes and businesses which are unable to access a broadband speed of at least 2Mbps. The Department does not distinguish applications between residential and business premises. Currently 1,658 installations have been approved under the scheme for premises in Scotland. We also do not hold information for specific local authorities within the Scottish total.

Migrant Workers: EU Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of EU workers in the technology, culture and heritage sectors classed as low skilled.

Matt Hancock: Employment figures taken from DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates 2017: Employment and Trade are available here, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dcms-sectors-economic-estimates-2017-employment-and-trade.

Terrorism: Greater London

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the additional costs incurred by cultural institutions as a result of extra security after recent acts of terrorism in London.

John Glen: The Department has made no formal assessment of the costs. However, we meet regularly with a range of cultural institutions, including sponsored museums and sector bodies, in which we discuss both financial and security arrangements. We are aware that cultural institutions have and are taking steps to ensure security measures are in place. The Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group also convenes after incidents to evaluate impact and discuss the future response.

Pornography: Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to stop access for those under 18-years of age to online porn sites.

Matt Hancock: Through the Digital Economy Act (2017), we have created the requirement for commercial providers of online pornography to have robust age verification controls to prevent under 18s accessing this material. Our aim is to bring these powers into force within 12 months of the Act receiving Royal Assent (27 April 2017).

Broadband

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the percentage take-up of superfast broadband is in each region of the UK.

Matt Hancock: The Department does not hold information on superfast broadband take-up percentage by regions. The 2016 Ofcom Connected Nations report showed average take up percentage by home nation to be: England - 32%Northern Ireland - 34%Wales - 24%Scotland - 27% Take up percentages of premises covered by BDUK projects can be found in the 'Table of local broadband projects' on the department's website : https://www.gov.uk/guidance/broadband-delivery-uk#superfast-broadband-programme.

Broadband

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the average download speed for fixed broadband services is in each region of the UK.

Matt Hancock: We do not hold information on current average download speed by region. The 2016 Ofcom Connected Nations report showed that the home nations had average download speeds of: England - 38Mbit/sNorthern Ireland - 34Mbit/sWales - 29Mbit/sScotland - 35Mbit/s

Social Media: Codes of Practice

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has for the code of practice for online social media platforms to apply to conduct which involves threats of violence and terrorism.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to commence consultation on the code of practice for online social media platforms.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance her Department plans to give on criteria to be used by online social media platforms when applying the code of practice to determine whether an abusive or threatening incident has reached the criminal threshold.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whom her Department plans to consult before introducing the code of practice for online social media platforms.

Matt Hancock: We are consulting on introducing a social media code of practice as part of the Internet Safety Strategy which was published on 11 October. As laid out in the Digital Economy Act 2017, the code will seek to ensure that providers offer adequate online safety policies, introduce minimum standards and metrics and ensure regular review and monitoring. The code will not cover unlawful content or conduct, such as terrorist material or threats of violence, which the legal framework already addresses. Government will continue to consult with stakeholders in the tech industry on the details of the code of practice before its introduction in 2018.

Direct Marketing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the General Data Protection Regulation, (EU) 2016/679, requires consent for postal direct marketing to change from opt out to opt in; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: The Data Protection Bill, which recently received its second reading, will create a modern legal framework for the UK, suitable for the digital age, incorporating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It will require either clearer and affirmative consent from individuals to be sought, or apply additional safeguards where data processing is allowed in the absence of consent. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) recently published draft guidance on consent under the GDPR; this can be found on the ICO's website - www.ico.org.uk. Under the new law where direct marketing by post involves the processing of personal data, data controllers will need a legal basis for such processing. Article 6 of GDPR lists a number of possible legal bases which in certain circumstances can be relied upon by data controllers. Where no other legal basis applies then the consent of the data subject will be required.

Local Government: Culture

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the level of spending by local authorities on projects related to culture and the arts in each of the last seven years.

John Glen: Government believes funding decisions should be made at a local level and local authorities are best placed to decide how to prioritise their spending. A locality’s cultural assets can be a major part of the local economy, attracting businesses and visitors, as well as providing a source of local pride and a sense of place.

Sports: Governing Bodies

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate she has made of the number of women on sports governing bodies.

Tracey Crouch: On 8 March 2017, Women in Sport published their Beyond 30% report which showed that 65% of the organisations funded by Sport England and/or UK Sport have more than 25% women on their boards. While this is a significant improvement on 2015, when the comparable figure was just 46%, clearly there is more to be done. This is why the Code for Sports Governance published last October requires funded organisations to adopt a target of, and take all appropriate actions to encourage, a minimum of 30% of each gender on its board. The governance code is mandatory for all sports bodies seeking public funding. National Governing Bodies who do not comply with the code will need to have agreed with the funding body an action plan which sets out how they will become compliant with that requirement by 31 October this year.

Gambling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what level of funds her Department has spent on addressing problem gambling in each of the last five years.

Tracey Crouch: Problem gambling treatment, research and education is funded through a system of voluntary contributions by the gambling industry, and is administered through The Responsible Gambling Strategy Board and the charity GambleAware. GambleAware’s income for the last 5 years was (all financial years ending 31 March): 2013 - £5,696,1422014 - £6,277,9342015 - £6,503,9252016 - £7,632,3712017 - £8,621,499 Breakdown of expenditure can be found in GambleAware’s Annual Reports at https://about.gambleaware.org/about/annual-reports-minutes-newsletters/

Football Association

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Football Association's safeguarding procedures.

Tracey Crouch: As with all funded sports, the Football Association is required to meet the obligations set out in Sport England and UK Sport’s funding agreements, which require appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures to be put in place and adherence to the Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport (the ‘Standards’) issued by the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU). The CPSU conducts an annual review of National Governing Bodies and reports back to ensure this funding condition is being met. During 2017, the CPSU has reported no concerns with the Football Association who continue to meet and maintain the advance Standards.

Sports: LGBT People

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase LGBT participation in sport.

Tracey Crouch: The cross-Government sport strategy ‘Sporting Future’ set out our intention to encourage as many people and groups to enjoy sport as participants, spectators and in the workforce, including the LGBT community. It also includes a number of other actions to ensure that all under-represented groups can take part in sport and wider physical activity through a focus on local delivery, and working with people through volunteering, coaching and the sporting workforce. Our aim is to increase diversity among sporting organisations and help the sport sector to be more inclusive and welcoming to all. Government continues to work with Sport England and National Governing Bodies of sport, alongside organisations including Pride Sports, Stonewall, and Kick it Out on a number of anti-homophobia initiatives aimed at encouraging inclusion. In March, Sport England commissioned Pride Sports to produce a second in depth report on barriers to LGBT participation. This research on volunteering, provision and attitudes and behaviours has been completed, and Sport England is currently considering what actions they will take based on the findings.

Sports: Finance

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with (a) campaigners and (b) sports governance bodies on making sports governance bodies that (i) are or (ii) recently have been in receipt of public funds subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Tracey Crouch: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 October 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has had no such discussions. National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) are not public bodies, and as such are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. NGBs are typically independent, self-appointed organisations that govern their sports through the common consent of their sport. Transparency is an important principal of good governance, and is reflected in our Code for Sport Governance, with which all bodies in receipt of UK Sport or Sport England funding must now demonstrate compliance. The cross-Government sport strategy ‘Sporting Future’ set out our intention to encourage as many people and groups to enjoy sport as participants, spectators and in the workforce, including the LGBT community. It also includes a number of other actions to ensure that all under-represented groups can take part in sport and wider physical activity through a focus on local delivery, and working with people through volunteering, coaching and the sporting workforce. Our aim is to increase diversity among sporting organisations and help the sport sector to be more inclusive and welcoming to all. Government continues to work with Sport England and National Governing Bodies of sport, alongside organisations including Pride Sports, Stonewall, and Kick it Out on a number of anti-homophobia initiatives aimed at encouraging inclusion. In March, Sport England commissioned Pride Sports to produce a second in depth report on barriers to LGBT participation. This research on volunteering, provision and attitudes and behaviours has been completed, and Sport England is currently considering what actions they will take based on the findings.

Tracey Crouch: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has had no such discussions. National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) are not public bodies, and as such are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. NGBs are typically independent, self-appointed organisations that govern their sports through the common consent of their sport. Transparency is an important principal of good governance, and is reflected in our Code for Sport Governance, with which all bodies in receipt of UK Sport or Sport England funding must now demonstrate compliance. The cross-Government sport strategy ‘Sporting Future’ set out our intention to encourage as many people and groups to enjoy sport as participants, spectators and in the workforce, including the LGBT community. It also includes a number of other actions to ensure that all under-represented groups can take part in sport and wider physical activity through a focus on local delivery, and working with people through volunteering, coaching and the sporting workforce. Our aim is to increase diversity among sporting organisations and help the sport sector to be more inclusive and welcoming to all. Government continues to work with Sport England and National Governing Bodies of sport, alongside organisations including Pride Sports, Stonewall, and Kick it Out on a number of anti-homophobia initiatives aimed at encouraging inclusion. In March, Sport England commissioned Pride Sports to produce a second in depth report on barriers to LGBT participation. This research on volunteering, provision and attitudes and behaviours has been completed, and Sport England is currently considering what actions they will take based on the findings.

Local Press

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of trends in local and regional news provision across the UK.

Matt Hancock: We are committed to ensuring there are sustainable business models for high quality news media as set out in the manifesto, and this includes the local and regional press. In particular, government recognises that local and regional news outlets have been hit particularly hard by falling print circulations and the shift of advertising online. We have been holding meetings with industry representatives to explore these issues which form one aspect of the work underway to develop the Digital Charter.

Broadband

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of progress towards the implementation of the Universal Service Obligation for broadband by 2020.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether British Telecoms is liable to pay penalties in the event that the Universal Service Obligation for broadband is not fully implemented by 2020.

Matt Hancock: The Government took a power In the Digital Economy Act 2017 enabling the introduction of a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO), which would give people the right to request a connection, at a minimum speed, from a designated provider, up to a reasonable cost threshold. On 30 July, a consultation on the proposed design of the broadband USO was published, and the Government also announced that BT had volunteered a proposal to deliver universal broadband. The BT proposal, if accepted, would be legally binding, and deliver a minimum speed of at least 10Mbps, with many premises receiving substantially faster speeds. BT's offer has the potential to deliver better connectivity to people more quickly than under a regulatory USO so we are considering it carefully. A decision will be taken on the best route to deliver universal broadband, once we have considered the responses to the regulatory USO consultation which closed on 9 October, and worked through BT's offer in detail with them. Once a specification for a broadband USO is set in secondary legislation, it would fall to Ofcom to implement the USO, by designating one or more universal service providers and imposing regulatory conditions on them. Ofcom would also be responsible for enforcement of these conditions.

Mass Media

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of news stories published in UK newspapers which have been identified by the (a) European Parliament and (b) European Commission as inaccurate in each year since 2005.

Matt Hancock: We do not hold such data.

Tech City UK and Tech North: Staff

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2017 to Question 9257, whether her Department collects information on the gender balance among STEM subject staff at Tech City and Tech North.

Matt Hancock: No, the Department does not collect information on the gender balance among STEM subject staff at Tech City and Tech North.

Commonwealth Games: Birmingham

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Birmingham Council on ensuring that that council receives a participation dividend in the event that Birmingham is successful in its bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Tracey Crouch: We have held numerous discussions with Birmingham City Council regarding the opportunities to increase sport participation and physical activity as part of its bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Sporting legacy was a key criteria in the government's assessment process to select a UK candidate city and should Birmingham's bid be successful, legacy facilities will include a new swimming pool and an upgraded athletics stadium, which will include elite and community facilities. Should Birmingham be successful, we will continue to work with the city to maximise the opportunities to increase participation throughout the life cycle of the Games.

Department of Health

Coeliac Disease: Prescriptions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the results of the consultation on the availability of gluten-free foods on NHS prescription which closed on 22 June 2017.

Steve Brine: A report is being prepared on the responses to the gluten free consultation. This will be published in due course.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust: Nurses

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many registered nurses left East Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number of nurses who have left East Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust yearly at 30 June since 2010, along with the total number of nurses employed at the end of that same period. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Nurse and health visitor leavers and total from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, between June in each specified year, 2010 to 2017, headcount.Nurses2010 to 20112011 to 20122012 to 20132013 to 20142014 to 20152015 to 20162016 to 2017Total1,4331,8101,8461,9541,9621,9202,008Leavers164128177189222260224 Source: NHS Digital, NHS HCHS workforce statistics

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust: Nurses

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacancies for registered nurses were left unfilled at East Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally. Health Education England provides estimates of staff shortages and the plan for tackling these issues as part of their Workforce Plan for England publication. The latest figures are available at the following link:https://hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016-17.pdf

Counselling: Young People

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for a young person to be referred for NHS counselling.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The average waiting time for a young person to be referred for National Health Service counselling is not currently collected centrally. However the NHS England’s Five Year Forward View for Mental Health Dashboard does publish data about the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme and gives figures for the numbers of children and young people receiving at least two contacts in NHS funded community services in the reporting period. The dashboard is available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-five-year-forward-view-dashboard/

Ambulance Services

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions ambulances have been delayed as a result of new build housing developments not being included in GPS navigation systems in each of the last three years.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Medicine: Research

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on UK medical research and clinical trials of failing to retain access to EU-wide patient groups after the UK has left the EU.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government's policy paper, ‘Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper’, states that one of the United Kingdom’s core objectives during negotiations is to continue to collaborate with European partners to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for science and innovation. As part of exit negotiations, the Government will seek agreement with the European Union and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of medical research and clinical trials. UK-based researchers can currently run multi-state clinical trials and this will still be the case whatever system of clinical trial authorisation is put in place after Brexit.

Prisoners: Health

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what resources his Department is providing to prisons in order to meet the NICE quality standard set for the physical health of people in prisons.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the NICE quality standard set for the physical health of people in prisons on (a) improving treatment for people with blood-borne viruses and (b) meeting the WHO targets of eliminating hepatitis C.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England became responsible for commissioning health services for people in prisons in April 2013. Regional Health and Justice commissioners have a duty to ensure that all relevant guidance and guidelines, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard, are incorporated into their establishment-level service specification with their health provider(s). A national group of public health, pharmacy and data professionals are reviewing the effectiveness of the ‘opt out’ testing approach for screening for blood-borne viruses amongst people in prison.

Medicine: Research

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to protect the UK's competitiveness in clinical trials after the UK leaves the EU; and what plans his Department has for alignment with the EU clinical trials regulation due to be adopted in 2019.

Steve Brine: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made clear that a key priority through the negotiations will be to ensure that the United Kingdom remains one of the best places in the world for science and innovation. As part of exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the European Union and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of clinical trials. Regardless of the outcome of those negotiations the UK is committed to offering a competitive service for clinical trial assessment. This covers regulatory approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority as well as services from Health Research Authority, ethics services, National Institute for Health Research and the National Health Service. The UK is working towards implementation of the new Clinical Trials Regulation, whose application date will be set by the European Commission. The current regulatory approval legislation will stay in place until such time as any changes are needed so there will be no interruption in UK clinical trials approval.

Health Professions: Standards

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendation of Sir Robert Francis QC in Freedom to speak up, published on 11 February 2015, on procedures to allow a common independent tribunal to determine fitness to practice issues and sanctions across the healthcare professional field.

Mr Philip Dunne: In response to the recommendation about setting up a common independent tribunal for fitness to practise decisions in Sir Robert Francis QC’s Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, the Government referred to its intention to review the legislation of health and care professional regulators in the United Kingdom. The Government is planning to consult on the high level principles of reform of professional regulation. This includes consideration of powers to enable the regulatory bodies to work jointly. Such powers could be used to share tribunal services.

Mental Illness: Debts

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on the formal review of the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form which was announced by the Prime Minister in January 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is working with the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute to review the practice of general practitioners (GPs) charging patients for completing Mental Health Evidence Forms. The review was launched at a roundtable discussion at No. 10 in July and a review group has been established with representation from the financial and credit sectors, GPs and the debt advice sector. The review is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Health Professions: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacancies for doctors, nurses, therapists and support workers have gone unfilled in Shropshire Hospitals and GP services in the last 12 months.

Steve Brine: This information is not held centrally. Health Education England provides estimates of staff shortages and the plan for tackling these issues as part of their Workforce Plan for England publication. The latest figures are available at the following link:https://hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016-17.pdf

Blood: Contamination

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the devolved Government in Scotland on the contaminated blood inquiry.

Jackie Doyle-Price: I had a teleconference on Wednesday 19 July with Shona Robison MSP, the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. The Government is committed to consulting the devolved administrations on the contaminated blood inquiry. United Kingdom Government officials are in regular contact with officials in the devolved administrations about the inquiry.

Transplant Surgery: Stem Cells

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to psychological support for patients recovering from a stem cell transplant.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The impact of cancer continues beyond the initial treatment. Patients may experience physical, financial, social and psychological issues. NHS England are rolling out the Recovery Package, which will ensure patients have more personal care and support from the point they are diagnosed and once treatment ends. For patients this means working with their care team to develop a comprehensive plan outlining their physical needs and other support they may need, such as help at home or financial advice. By 2020 NHS England wants all cancer patients to have access to the Recovery Package and is committed to implementing this in collaboration with charities, professionals and patients themselves.

Transplant Surgery: Stem Cells

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with NHS England the necessity for a review of the care and support that patients receive after a stem cell transplant.

Steve Brine: Post-transplant care for patients is important. NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning team and Clinical Reference Group for Blood and Marrow Transplants (BMT) are undertaking work to map care needs post-100 days. There are no current plans to review the responsibilities of services commissioned by NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for BMT at this time. NHS England will be assessing BMT in more detail over the next 18 months and will take the opportunity to further support improved pathway planning and commissioning of services that it and CCGs fund.

Transplant Surgery: Stem Cells

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason responsibility for commissioning services following a stem cell transplant from NHS England to clinical commissioning groups after 100 days.

Steve Brine: The Manual for Prescribed Specialised Services describes which elements of specialised services are commissioned by NHS England and which are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs):https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/prescribed-specialised-services-manual-2.pdfDue to the small number of patients involved, the cost of the transplant episode and the small number of transplant experts, Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) is defined as a prescribed specialised service. NHS England is responsible for commissioning and funding the transplant related care which takes place 30 days before transplant and continues until 100 days post-transplant. After 100 days post-transplant, commissioning responsibility for the routine follow-up of patients switches from NHS England to CCGs, as outlined in the Manual.In the event that transplant patients experience serious complications post-transplant, elements of their care would likely continue to be planned, organised and funded by NHS England specialised commissioning. For example, if a patient requires Extracorporeal Photopheresis which is a treatment for acute and chronic graft versus host disease following transplantation, NHS England commissions this care post-transplant.

NHS Shared Business Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8720, what progress has been made on discussions relating to the settlement of costs between NHS England and NHS Shared Business Services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: An agreement has been reached between NHS England and NHS Shared Business Services relating to the settlement of costs. This is in the process of being finalised and details are planned to be provided to the Public Accounts Committee ahead of its forthcoming hearing on 16 October.

Department of Health: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2017 to Question 9680, on Department of Health: Behavioural Insights Team, what projects the Behavioural Insights Team worked on; and what estimate he has made of the value of each such project to the public purse.

Mr Philip Dunne: Projects on which the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) worked, beginning in 2014, are shown in the table below. No assessment has been made of the value of each project to the public purse. Invoice Posted DateLine DescriptionInvoice spend £21 October 2014New approaches to raising awareness among women about folic acid supplementation to promote behaviour change2,0404 April 2014Transferred contract with the BIT to develop new approaches to tackling obesity.9,43118 November 2014New approaches to raising awareness among women about folic acid supplementation to promote behaviour change7,31017 December 2014New approaches to raising awareness among women about folic acid supplementation to promote behaviour change5,36022 January 2015New approaches to raising awareness among women about folic acid supplementation to promote behaviour change3,2884 April 2014Transferred contract with the BIT to develop new approaches to tackling obesity.9,43125 February 2015New approaches to raising awareness among women about folic acid supplementation to promote behaviour change2,0107 April 2016Childhood Obesity Strategy: BIT engagement30,4537 April 2016Childhood Obesity Deliberative Forum: BIT engagement5,538

Mental Illness: Hartlepool

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of 14 to 24-year olds who have been diagnosed with a mental illness in Hartlepool.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The data is not held in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Rotherham

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision to close The Corner House, Rotherham on (a) service users, (b) the local population and (c) the landscape of the country's mental health provision.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the decision to close the Corner House, Rotherham on the provision of mental health support in Yorkshire.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Corner House in Rotherham was managed by the Turning Point charity. NHS England advises that the charity made a commercial decision to close the facility, based on its own assessment of falling demand for such hospital type services. NHS England advise that all the residents of The Corner House, Rotherham, have been rehoused closer to where they come from in high quality residences that meet their individual needs. This is entirely in line with the NHS Transforming Care and Building the Right Support policies and the Government's objective of moving the users of these services out of institutionalised hospital care to enable them to live more independently in community homes. The local Transforming Care Partnership - comprising the clinical commissioning groups of Doncaster, North Lincolnshire, Rotherham and Sheffield - also consider this to be a positive move in helping them to rehouse service users in care settings that meet their needs more appropriately.

Healthy Start Scheme: Merseyside

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the take-up rate for Healthy Start vouchers is in the (a) Liverpool City Region and (b) local authority areas of (i) Halton, (ii) Knowsley, (iii) Liverpool, (iv) Sefton, (v) St Helens and (vi) the Wirral.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of eligible families who claim universal credit are registered for healthy start vouchers and vitamins.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The uptake for Healthy Start vouchers in the Liverpool City region is 71%. A breakdown for the requested areas is shown in the following table: AreaTake Up %Halton73%Knowsley72%Liverpool72%Sefton68%St. Helens71%Wirral72%Source:Validated but unpublished information from the Healthy Start Implementation Unit. 5,265 Universal Credit beneficiaries are currently receiving Healthy Start vouchers. This figure is not available as a proportion of the total number of eligible families who claim Universal Credit.

Universal Credit: Healthy Start Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many families with babies and young children have had to reapply for Healthy Start following their migration to universal credit.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons families with babies and young children migrating onto universal credit are required to make a new claim for Healthy Start scheme vouchers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Families with babies and young children migrating onto universal credit do not need to make a new claim for Healthy Start vouchers if the Healthy Start Implementation Unit receives confirmation of their migration to universal credit within 90 days. If this confirmation takes longer than 90 days they may need to reapply for Healthy Start, as with any change in benefits. The Healthy Start Implementation Unit provides support to universal credit beneficiaries when they are made aware of them. Data on the number of families who have had to reapply for Healthy Start following their migration to universal credit is not available.

Health Services: Standards

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS operational standards have not been met during the period from May 2015 to date.

Mr Philip Dunne: Official statistics are published by NHS England on a monthly basis in respect of National Health Service performance against waiting times standards. This information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/

Nurses: Recruitment

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many training posts for nurses were commissioned in each year since 2010-11.

Mr Philip Dunne: The following table shows the number of available nurse training places by year, for the period 2010-11 to 2016-17.Year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17Nurse total20,13817,90317,44218,05619,20620,15320,680Source: Health Education England (HEE) since 2013. Financial Information Management System prior to 2013. Pre-registration nurse training places will no longer be commissioned in the same way that has been done previously by HEE. The reforms for healthcare education funding from August 2017 will mean students will move onto the student loans system; giving universities the flexibility to provide additional places, based on local need and National Health Service clinical capacity. HEE will continue to fund the required number of clinical placements to meet the longer-term NHS workforce needs. On 3 October 2017, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced a 25% increase in undergraduate nurse training places which will be available to students from 2018. We are going beyond what was announced in Spending Review 2015 and August 2017 of an additional 10,000 places announced in 2015. The Government commitment means additional undergraduate nurse training places of up to 15,510 in England by the end of 2020/21

Down's Syndrome: Screening

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2017 to Question 3971 on Down's syndrome: screening, whether NHS England's plans to go live with new genomic laboratory infrastructure remains on course.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England's plans to commission the new genomic laboratory infrastructure in October 2018 remain on course.

Health Services: Greater London

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of NHS services in north west London.

Mr Philip Dunne: Funding for the North West London Sustainability and Transformation Plan area is £3.7 billion in 2017/18. Between 2015-16 and 2020-21 it is expected to rise by £602.5 million – a cash increase of 17%. We are keenly aware that local issues exist within the context of overall plans, but as with all public services, local National Health Service areas need to live within their means. NHS England and NHS Improvement will continue to work with a small number of areas who could do more to balance their financial plans, as many already have. The NHS has worked hard to manage its finances in a challenging period, reporting significant improvements compared to previous years. The overall deficit, the size of individual deficits and the number of trusts reporting a deficit, are all significantly down.

Nurses: Labour Turnover

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses have (a) participated in the Return to Practice programme and (b) subsequently returned to practice within the NHS in each year since 2015.

Mr Philip Dunne: Health Education England (HEE) has launched a successful campaign on their Return to practice programmes. These programmes are key to ensuring the National Health Service makes it as simple and flexible as possible for those that have left the workforce to return. Since the programme began in 2014 the number of nurses that have successfully completed the course and are now ready to enter employment stands at 3,596 (this is from September 2014 to March 2017). HEE does not collect data on the numbers that have returned to employment.

Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission research into the care plan for people harmed by Valproate during pregnancy in France in order to identify potential benefits that such a plan could bring to the UK.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support the Government plans to provide to children and young adults affected by valproate after their birth (a) now and (b) over the next 10 years.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will meet people who have been harmed by sodium valproate during pregnancy; and what steps he has to provide compensation to such people.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will meet the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on anti-epileptic drugs in pregnancy to discuss the effect of people harmed by sodium valproate prescribed during pregnancy.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of babies harmed by  valproate prescribed during pregnancy.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his Department's policy to introduce a care compensation plan similar to plans already introduced in other EU states for people harmed by valproate prescribed during pregnancy since 1973.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have had with their counterparts in the EU regarding valproate.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will meet with INFACT to discuss a care plan compensation package for people harmed by Valproate in pregnancy since 1973.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of babies harmed by Valproate in pregnancy.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures the Government is taking to support children with birth defects as a result of valproate taken during pregnancy.

Steve Brine: Valproate is an effective treatment for epilepsy and bipolar disorder but should only be used in girls and women of childbearing potential if other treatments are ineffective or not tolerated. For some women there may be no other treatment option. Because of ongoing concerns about women’s awareness of the risks, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has worked with professional bodies, voluntary organisations and patient groups to develop a set of materials to aid communication between health professionals and women and girls.The valproate toolkit comprises booklets for healthcare professionals, a reminder card and a guide for women, a checklist for prescribers and clear package labelling carrying a prominent warning about use in pregnancy. The MHRA continues to work with stakeholders to disseminate information and ensure compliance with the statutory advice. On 6 April 2017, NHS Improvement and MHRA sent a Patient Safety Alert through the NHS Central Alerting System to further highlight risks to the unborn child and support the safety of girls and women taking valproate. The alert directs organisations to undertake systematic identification of women and girls taking valproate and to use the MHRA resources to support them to make informed choices. Consistent action was taken in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.The impact of the measures taken is being monitored and studies show a steady decline in prescribing to women in childbearing potential. The adequacy of measures taken to date across Europe is being reviewed in a Europe-wide review that started in March 2017. There are ongoing discussions at official level as the review progresses. An expert working group of the Commission on Human Medicines has been convened to inform the United Kingdom position during the ongoing European Union review and consider other measures which may be required across the healthcare system to ensure compliance with the regulatory position in clinical practice.France has its own legislation that allows for a state funded compensation scheme for medical accidents and they have amended this to include claims from those affected by valproate. We understand that this has been operational from June 2017. We are monitoring developments in France and do not feel that commissioning research is necessary at this time. We are not aware of similar action in other member states. There is currently no proposal to establish a care compensation plan specifically for those affected by valproate in the UK. However, the Government has great sympathy for those families who have been affected by the use of valproate in pregnancy. There is support available for families with children born with a disability. The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced a new statutory framework for local authorities and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to work together to secure educational, health and social care services for children and young people up to the age of 25 who have special educational needs or a disability (SEND).Local authorities and CCGs must commission services jointly around a set of locally agreed outcomes to ensure that the needs of children and young people with SEND are met. Local authorities must also publish a clear, transparent ‘local offer’ of services available which has been developed for, and with, parents and young people. The reforms introduced by the Act are designed to reduce health inequalities, improve the experiences of children and young people with SEND, and their families, and deliver integrated services to achieve improved outcomes.The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) is meeting with the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-epileptic Drugs in Pregnancy to discuss these issues later this year; members of the Independent Fetal Anti Convulsant Trust may wish to attend also.

NHS Trusts: Finance

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the capped expenditure process on funding for NHS trusts.

Mr Philip Dunne: As set out in the Spending Review 2015, National Health Service funding will increase by £8 billion in real terms by 2020-21, compared to 2015-16. In this year alone, real terms NHS funding is £1.7 billion higher than last year and £5 billion higher than it was in 2015-16. As with all public services, local NHS areas need to live within the budget agreed – otherwise they effectively take up resources that could be spent on general practitioners, mental health care, and cancer treatment. As part of their financial planning, NHS England and NHS Improvement have been running a process to look at how a small number of areas could do more to balance their financial plans, as many already have. It is important that these plans are consistent with constitutional standards on waiting times and patient choice. It is right that the NHS should consider efficiency savings such as reducing delayed transfers of care, or reducing running costs – because this improves patient care overall.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times the Mental Health Act 1983 has been used for the purposes of detention by ethnic group in each year since 2005.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information available is shown in the attached table. The table shows detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983 broken down by ethnic group. This information is available for 2016/17 only. Source:Data provided is from the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS)/MHA Acute for 2016/17.



PQ106431 attached table.
(Excel SpreadSheet, 35.39 KB)

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times Section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 has been used (a) in total, (b) by region and (c) by ethnic group in each year since 2005.

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times Section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983 has been used (a) in total, (b) by region and (c) by ethnic group in each year since 2005.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Data on the use of the Mental Health Act 1983 is available on the NHS Digital website at: https://digital.nhs.uk/article/4172/Mental-health The most recent report is Mental Health Act Statistics, Annual Figures: 2016-17, Experimental statistics, and this is available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30105

Health Services: Finance

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Government plans for funding relative to burden of disease to reach parity across mental and physical health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England’s ‘Standard for Mental Health Investment’ requires the local National Health Service to increase mental health investment by the same proportion as overall allocations. This is planned to be met across England as a whole in 2017/18 and 2018/19. It is for clinical commissioning groups to make decisions on spending priorities to best meet the health needs of their local population based on evidence based health assessments. We were the first Government to place mental and physical health on an equal footing in law. Parity of esteem is the principle by which mental health must be given equal priority to physical health. It was enshrined in law by the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

North Middlesex University Hospital Nhs Trust: Health Professions

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) doctors, (b) midwives and (c) nurses and health visitors were employed by the North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust in each year between 2014 and 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number of full time equivalent Hospital and Community Health Service Doctors, Midwives and Nurses and Health Visitors employed by North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust at 30 September 2014 to 2016. Data for June 2017 is also provided as this is the latest available. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Doctors, Midwives and Nurses and health visitors in North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust as at 30 September each specified year and 30 June 2017.Full-time equivalentSeptember 2014September 2015September 2016June 2017HCHS Doctors467458470487Midwives147148162128Nurses and health visitors780851842938 Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics.

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust: Health Professions

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) doctors, (b) midwives and (c) nurses and health visitors were employed by the Royal Free London NHS Trust in each year between 2014 and 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number of full time equivalent Hospital and Community Health Service Doctors, Midwives and Nurses and Health Visitors employed by Royal Free London NHS Trust at 30 September 2014 to 2016. Data for June 2017 is also provided as this is the latest available. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Doctors, Midwives and Nurses and health visitors in Royal Free London NHS Trust as at 30 September each specified year and 31 June 2017. Full-time EquivalentSeptember 2014September 2015September 2016June 2017HCHS Doctors1,4171,4451,4621,435Midwives256262281275Nurses and health visitors2,3462,2852,2812,330Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics.

South Tyneside Hospital

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of plans to downgrade South Tyneside District Hospital by moving acute services to Sunderland.

Mr Philip Dunne: No final decisions have been made on this issue. However, any possible reconfiguration of services is a matter for the local National Health Service. It is right that these decisions are led by local clinicians, who best understand the healthcare needs of their local populations, and in consultation with local people. A consultation to gather public views around the different ways some aspects of NHS hospital services could be arranged in South Tyneside and Sunderland was launched in July 2017. This will run until Sunday 15 October, and will focus particularly on choices around areas of hospital care which are delivered at South Tyneside District Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital. Final decisions are expected to be made by South Tyneside and Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Groups in early 2018.

NHS: North East

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS in the North East receives the funding it requires to (a) improve care, (b) train and (c) retain adequate numbers of medical professionals.

Mr Philip Dunne: Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for ensuring that the future workforce is available in the right numbers and has the necessary skills, values and behaviours to meet patients’ needs and deliver high quality care. This includes ensuring that the investment and distribution of clinical placements enables the right levels of supply required by the National Health Service and delivering the geographical spread and range of healthcare graduates required. Local service leaders in England, including the North East, have developed Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) to transform health and care in the communities they serve. HEE will continue to work with partners to ensure that funding is used effectively and distributed fairly across the country to meet service needs. It is the responsibility of STPs to manage funding to meet local priorities and work with local providers and Higher Education Institutions to promote improved care and training based around local identified priorities. Nationally, NHS Improvement is leading a programme to improve staff retention in trusts across England and bring down the leaver rates in the NHS by 2020. On 4 October 2016 my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced the expansion of undergraduate medical education by up to 1,500 new medical school places in each year, with 500 additional places available in September 2018. The criteria for allocating the remaining 1,000 places from September 2019 includes alignment to local NHS workforce needs, with an emphasis on priority geographical areas, including rural and coastal areas.

NHS: Pay

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of a three per cent pay increase for public sector staff in the NHS.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of a one per cent pay increase for public sector staff in the NHS.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of a two per cent pay increase for public sector staff in the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: The cost of a pay increase depends on the size of the workforce and the mix of professions and experience levels. The National Health Service pay bill for 2016/17 was £46.8 billion.

Blood: Contamination

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish all responses received by the current inquiry into infected blood.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has committed to providing a further update to the House after the consultation closes on 18 October. This update will include a summary of responses to the consultation received. All consultation responses will be passed on to the independent inquiry once established.

Catheters

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the use of silver-coated catheters in hospitals on (a) infection rates and (b) costs; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has assessed the clinical and cost-effectiveness of silver-based catheters versus hydrophilic and silicone catheters in reducing healthcare-associated urinary tract infections in both primary and secondary settings. The guidance is available here: www.nice.org.uk/researchrecommendation/indwelling-urinary-catheters-catheter-selection-for-patients-using-a-long-term-indwelling-urinary-catheter-what-is-the-clinical-and-cost-effectiveness-of-impregnated-versus-hydrophilic-versus-silicone-catheters-in-reducing-symptomatic-urinary-tract-infect This NICE guidance revealed a gap in the evidence for the effectiveness of indwelling catheters in the long term, with further evidence needed to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of silver-coated catheters.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical commissioning groups that have reportedly commissioned their own reviews of fertility services to inform commissioning practice.

Mr Philip Dunne: In considering local commissioning for fertility services, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) should have regard to clinical evidence within the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guidance for fertility services. There is no need for CCGs to undertake their own evidence reviews.

In Vitro Fertilisation: Multiple Births

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the potential increase in the number of people seeking IVF treatment abroad and the consequences of this for multiple birth rates.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it does not have any powers to regulate treatment which takes place outside the United Kingdom. It therefore holds no data on the number of patients who travel abroad for their treatment and is unable to assess the potential impact this may have on multiple birth rates. The HFEA provides information on its website advising patients of the risks of multiple pregnancies and suggesting that patients seeking treatment abroad should discuss these risks and how to minimise them with their overseas clinic.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ask NICE's implementation team to look at methods by which access to NHS tertiary infertility services can be improved in England.

Mr Philip Dunne: The availability of National Health Service funded fertility treatment is and always has been a matter for local determination. Decisions on the level of service provision are made by clinical commissioning groups and underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs and priorities. The role of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is to develop guidance and quality standards to drive quality improvements in health and care; NICE has already developed NICE Guidance for fertility services and Quality Standards for fertility problems.

Health Services: Fees and Charges

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of introducing charges for non-UK citizens accessing non-life threatening treatment on the NHS on the accessibility of such treatments for such citizens who are classed as vulnerable.

Mr Philip Dunne: Entitlement to free National Health Service care is largely based on being ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Being ordinarily resident means, broadly, living here on a lawful and properly settled basis as part of the regular order of his or her life for the time being, with non-European Economic Area nationals subject to immigration control also required to have an immigration status of indefinite leave to remain. Some services continue to remain free to all regardless of residency status, which currently includes primary medical services, the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases and accident and emergency services. Also, some groups of particularly vulnerable overseas visitors remain exempt from charge for all of their treatment, including refugees and persons granted asylum, failed asylum seekers receiving specified packages of state support, victims of modern slavery, including human trafficking, and children looked after by a local authority. These exemptions continue to ensure that the most vulnerable in our society are able to access free healthcare whenever they need it.

Coeliac Disease: Prescriptions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the outcome of the gluten free product prescribing trial undertaken by the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group in 2016.

Steve Brine: The Department has not made an assessment of the Vale of York scheme. Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for deciding local priorities.

Transplant Surgery: Stem Cells

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of psychological support on offer to stem cell transplant patients after they leave hospital.

Jackie Doyle-Price: No particular assessment has been undertaken regarding access to psychological support for stem cell transplant patients. However, NHS England’s work in supporting the roll out of the Recovery Package for cancer, patients including those who received Blood and Marrow Transplants, helps ensure patients have more personal care and support from the point they are diagnosed and once treatment ends. For patients this means working with their care team to develop a comprehensive plan outlining not only their physical needs, but also other support they may need, such as help at home or financial advice. By 2020 NHS England wants all cancer patients to have access to the Recovery Package and is committed to implementing this in collaboration with charities, professionals and patients themselves.

Transplant Surgery: Stem Cells

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NHS England on care arrangements for stem cell transplant patients after they leave hospital.

Steve Brine: Post-transplant care for patients is important. NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning team and Clinical Reference Group for Blood and Marrow Transplants (BMT) are undertaking work to map care needs post-100 days. There are no current plans to review the responsibilities of services commissioned by NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for BMT at this time. NHS England will be assessing BMT in more detail over the next 18 months and will take the opportunity to further support improved pathway planning and commissioning of services that it and CCGs fund.

Transplant Surgery: Stem Cells

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to clinical nurse specialists for patients recovering from a stem cell transplant.

Steve Brine: NHS England’s service specification sets out the requirements for equitable and consistent commissioning of specialised care. This specification describes the elements of care in the pathway, including those which reach beyond those paid for by specialised commissioning. The service specification stipulates that a clinical nurse specialist shall be available to provide support to transplants patients. The service specifications for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be accessed at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/b04-haema-adult.pdf

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 on public health.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of up-front charges for healthcare on people not seeking early medical help due to their immigration status or the cost of healthcare.

Mr Philip Dunne: Following a detailed public consultation that ran from December 2015 to March 2016, the Government set out in its response to that consultation in February 2017 that it intended to amend the existing Charging Regulations. Over the course of the consultation and decision-making process the Government carefully considered the impact the changes may have on public health and on vulnerable groups. The amendment regulations maintain the existing exemptions in place for the purposes of protecting the public’s health and do not change our position of ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to free healthcare. The requirement for upfront charging will not apply in the case of treatment that clinicians consider immediately necessary, or otherwise urgent (such that it cannot wait until the overseas visitor can reasonably be expected to return home). This means that chargeable overseas visitors will never have immediately necessary treatment (which includes all maternity treatment), or urgent treatment withheld or delayed pending payment.

Transvaginal Mesh Implants: Kingston Upon Hull West and Hessle

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency who have received trans vaginal mesh implants as part of their treatment for (a) pelvic organ prolapse repair or (b) stress urinary incontinence attend clinics for pain caused by that treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not held centrally.

Transvaginal Mesh Implants: Kingston Upon Hull West and Hessle

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency have received trans vaginal mesh implants as part of their treatment for (a) pelvic organ prolapse repair and (b) stress urinary incontinence; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not held centrally.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to respond to the report published on 6 September 2017 by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs entitled Commissioning impact on drug treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Officials are currently reviewing the report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs entitled ‘Commissioning impact of on drug treatment’ published on 6 September and the Government will respond within the agreed timescales.

European Medicines Agency

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of replicating the relevant functions of the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what preparations his Department has made to replicate the relevant functions of the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the number of staff required to replicate the relevant functions of the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Steve Brine: Our overall aim in the negotiations is to ensure that patients in the United Kingdom and across the European Union continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines while being assured that their safety is protected. We are committed to continue a close working relationship with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the exact nature of this relationship will be determined through our negotiations. The UK already has substantial capacity and expertise to regulate and evaluate the safety of our medicines. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) directly assesses the vast majority of medicines used by patients within the UK. The MHRA is globally recognised for its expertise and they typically undertake between 20 – 35% of the EMA’s licensing and vigilance work, including a significant proportion of pharmacovigilance work and safety referrals.

Gambling

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have received counselling or other treatment for an addiction to gambling in the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have a gambling addiction.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data his Department holds on, and what assessment it has made of, the effects of gambling on mental health.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on gambling addiction since May 2015.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spent on counselling and other treatment for people with an addiction to gambling in the last 12 months.

Steve Brine: The Department does not hold information on the numbers of people who have received counselling or other treatment for an addiction to gambling in the last 12 months. The Health Survey for England is a national survey and its stratified, random probability sample is designed to be representative of the population living in private households in England. Questions about gambling and problem gambling were included in the survey in 2015 and in 2012. The 2015 survey data were published in a report by the Gambling Commission, available at: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/survey-data/Health-survey-results-England-2015.pdf The survey found that 0.9% of people aged 16+ were classified as problem gamblers using either the PGSI (Problem Gambling Severity Index) or the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual-IV) screening instruments. Problem gambling can cause physical and mental health problems, including anxiety disorders and depression. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme began in 2008 and has transformed treatment of adult anxiety disorders and depression in England. Over 900,000 people now access IAPT services each year, and the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health is committed to expanding services further, alongside improving quality. Although problem gambling is not listed amongst the provisional diagnosis categories that IAPT treats, IAPT practitioners would be able to treat common mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety which problem gamblers may present with. My Rt. Hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have had no meetings to discuss this specific issue. Officials from the two departments have met to discuss the impact of problem gambling on several occasions. Problem gamblers can access services in primary care and secondary care including specialised mental health and addiction services. Any decisions on the commissioning of effective treatment services are the responsibility of local commissioners, based on an assessment of local need. There are a range of services available to problem gamblers, details of which can be found on the NHS Choices website at: www.nhs.uk/Livewell/addiction/Pages/gamblingaddiction.aspx

Refugees: Mental Illness

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of mental health problems among (a) children and (b) other people in the refugee community.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We do not currently hold information regarding the prevalence of mental health problems amongst children or other people in the refugee community.

Healthy Start Scheme

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which age groups have the lowest uptake of Healthy Start vouchers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information is not held in the format requested.

Healthy Start Scheme: Children

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Healthy Start scheme delivers the goals of the Childhood Obesity Plan.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Healthy Start Scheme delivers the goals of the Childhood Obesity Plan by supporting lower-income pregnant women and families to eat healthily. Through the Healthy Food Schemes, the Government provides a nutritional safety net to those who need it the most. Healthy Start helps to encourage a healthy diet of pregnant women and children under four from low income households. It does this by providing vouchers to these families to purchase fruit, vegetables and milk. The Government has provided nutritional support to families for many years and our world-leading childhood obesity plan published in August last year re-affirmed its commitment to Healthy Start and to helping children and families to recognise and make healthier choices and be more active.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of respiratory-related illnesses exacerbated by cold homes in the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has not made an estimate of this kind. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued guidance which covers reducing the health risks (including preventable deaths) associated with living in a cold home.

Eyesight: Health Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the planning and prioritisation of eye care services.

Steve Brine: NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary care National Health Service sight tests for eligible groups, including children, people aged 60 and over and those on certain income-related benefits. The NHS sight test is a demand led service and the latest statistical figures show that there were 13.0 million NHS sight tests carried out during 2016/17. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning secondary care hospital eye services and are also able to commission eye care services in the community, over and above the NHS sight test, to meet local need. CCGs are required, for all services they commission, including ophthalmic services, to assess the health needs of their local population using joint strategic needs assessments. The introduction of Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships will bring NHS providers, commissioners, local authorities, and other health and care services together to propose how they, at local level, can further improve the way that health and care is planned and delivered in a more person-centred and coordinated way.

Endoscopy: Health Professions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the number of endoscopists working in the NHS.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of diagnostic radiographers working in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The National Cancer Strategy, published in 2015, outlines the need to expand the diagnostic workforce, as early diagnosis of cancer is crucial to positive patient outcomes. Health Education England has committed to publishing a cancer workforce plan before the end of the calendar year, which will include diagnostic radiographers.

Batten Disease: Brineura

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to make Brineura (cerliponase alfa) accessible for sufferers of Batten's disease.

Steve Brine: Brineura (Cerliponase alfa) for treating Batten’s disease (neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2) was referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for appraisal on 1 March 2017 under the highly specialised technologies programme. NICE is developing guidance which is currently scheduled for publication in June 2018. NICE develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance on best practice for the National Health Service. NICE operates with a high degree of independence from Government and is responsible for the recommendations that it makes to the NHS. Its guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is developed through engagement with stakeholders.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many licences to conduct trials of cannabis-based medicines have been issued in the UK in the last three years.

Steve Brine: There have been 12 Clinical Trial Authorisations approved for cannabis-based medicines since January 2014 involving the terms cannabis and cannabidiol.

Eyesight: Health Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from (a) RNIB and (b) other bodies on the time taken for access to treatment for eye care; and what steps he is taking to minimise the risk for patients experiencing irreversible sight loss due to delayed and cancelled appointments.

Steve Brine: The Department has had representations from the Royal National Institute of Blind People and received letters from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning, All Party Parliamentary Group for Eye Health and Visual Impairment and the Chair of the Health Select Committee. There are currently national rules in place that should ensure if a patient’s planned follow on appointment is postponed their wait is actively monitored. In light of concerns that patients may be suffering avoidable sight loss due to delays in follow up appointments, Departmental officials are currently working with NHS England to assess the situation.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to make the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination available on the NHS to all babies and children under the age of 16.

Steve Brine: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunisation programme is a risk-based programme, with the key component being the neonatal programme which targets those most at risk from or exposure to tuberculosis. The BCG vaccine is also offered to at risk individuals under the age of 16. There are no plans to extend this further.

Genetics: North West

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consultation exercise was undertaken prior to the decision to base the main North West Regional Genetics Laboratory in Manchester as part of the nationwide reconfiguration; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is currently preparing to procure a network of genomic laboratory hubs to provide comprehensive coverage across the country. The process is currently in the pre-procurement phase and therefore the defined geographies for these hubs have not yet been confirmed.

Respiratory System

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will establish an independent taskforce for lung health.

Steve Brine: There are currently no plans to set up a taskforce on lung health. However, the Government’s Mandate to NHS England includes a requirement to achieve a significant reduction in avoidable deaths by 2020. Reducing premature mortality rates among patients with lung disease will play an important part in this. There are a range of initiatives being taken forward that will support reducing mortality rates amongst patients with lung disease. NHS England advises that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently producing new guidelines on asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the ongoing National Audit on COPD will be joined by one on asthma next year.

Diabetes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to focus diabetes transformation funding on areas where the need for service improvement is greatest; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to assess the effect on improving the treatment of diabetes of the transformation funding for diabetes services; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: NHS England is developing a diabetes transformation dashboard which will be used to monitor outcomes of the allocations made through the transformation funding. The diabetes transformation dashboard will pull together data from a number of sources to enable short-term indicators of effectiveness, as well as long-term outcomes to be monitored. NHS England developed a Best Possible Value framework to inform the allocation of funding to clinical commissioning groups and Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships. This approach aimed to place consideration of value to populations, to patients and to taxpayers at the heart of decision-making. It aimed to identify where the potential for improvement was greatest. The approach to allocation of funding also included consideration of existing inequalities in service provision.

Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to eradicate tuberculosis.

Steve Brine: The Department recognises the challenges posed by tuberculosis (TB) and supports NHS England in its collaboration with Public Health England (PHE) for a five-year national TB strategy. In January 2015, PHE and NHS England jointly published the ‘Collaborative TB Strategy for England, 2015-2020’ available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collaborative-tuberculosis-strategy-for-england The strategy has three aims: a year on year reduction in TB incidence in England, a reduction in health inequalities, and to contribute to eventual elimination of TB as a public health problem in England. To achieve these aims the Strategy sets out 10 key ‘areas for action’, which include improving diagnosis and treatment, ensuring comprehensive contact tracing, improving vaccination uptake, reducing inequalities and tackling drug-resistant TB.

Social Services: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the consultation on social care will take account of the experiences of working age disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 11 September 2017 and 12 October 2017 to Questions 8610 and 106560 respectively.

Diabetes

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has for the diabetes transformation fund beyond 2017-18.

Steve Brine: The Department is committed to improving diabetes treatment and outcomes for people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. That is why this year, NHS England has invested £42 million to local areas to: - Improve the achievement of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended treatment targets (HbA1c, cholesterol and blood pressure) and driving down variation between clinical commissioning groups;- Improve uptake of structured education;- Reduce amputations by improving the timeliness of referrals from primary care to a multi-disciplinary foot team for people with diabetic foot disease; and- Reduce lengths of stay for diabetic inpatients.The Spending Review has made provision for significant transformation funding through to 2020/21. We expect this to be spent in line with priorities set out in NHS England’s Mandate, including for diabetes.

Prime Minister

Raif Badawi

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2017 to Question 106251, on Raif Badawi, whether that case was raised during her meeting with the Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs in September 2017.

Mrs Theresa May: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave previously.